7 
 
 /V, 
 
Thalaba and Oneiza. 
 
STORIES 
 
 OF 
 
 THE MAGICIANS 
 
 THALABA and the MAGICIANS of the DOMDANIEL 
 
 RUSTEM and the GENII 
 K EH AM A and his Sorceries 
 
 REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A. 
 
 Professor of Latin in University College, London 
 Author of tl Stories from Homer " 
 
 With Sixteen Illustrations 
 
 LONDON 
 
 SEELEY & CO., 46, 47 & 48, ESSEX STREET, STRAND 
 (LATE OF 54, FLEET STREET) 
 
 1887 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
EDUC.- 
 PSYCH. 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT 
 
.1 
 
 PSYCH. 
 LIBkAWT 
 
 CHAP. 
 I. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE MAGICIANS I 
 
 ASWAD 8 
 
 HOW ABDALDAR THE MAGICIAN SOUGHT FOR 
 
 THALABA iS 
 
 HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND ... 2J 
 
 HOW THALABA FARED ON HIS JOURNEY ... 36 
 
 WHAT THALABA SAW AT BABYLON ... 45 
 
 THE PARADISE OF SIN 54 
 
 HOW ONEIZA WAS SAVED AND LOST ... 64 
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF THALABA 71 
 
 THE MAGIC THREAD 78 
 
 LEILA 90 
 
 THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT 99 
 
 THE DQOM f ... ... ... 108 
 
 731 
 
iv CONTENTS. 
 
 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM 119 
 
 II. THE FIRST EXPLOITS OF RUSTEM 133 
 
 III. RUSTEM AND HIS HORSE RAKSH 139 
 
 IV. RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB 146 
 
 V. HOW KING KAOUS MARCHED AGAINST THE 
 
 LAND OF THE GENII 155 
 
 VI. THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM ... 165 
 VII. THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM (con- 
 tinued} 176 
 
 VIII. SOHRAB 193 
 
 IX. SOHRAB (continued) 204 
 
 X. SOHRAB (continued) 213 
 
 XI. SOHRAB (continued) 225 
 
 XII. THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM 233 
 
 XIII. THE DEATH OF RUSTEM 249 
 
 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 I. THE CURSE 259 
 
 II. THE GLENDOVEER 265 
 
 III. LADURLAD 275 
 
 IV. THE ANCIENT TOMBS 281 
 
 V. THE REFUGE 293 
 
 VI. THE DOOM 303 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THALABA AND ONEIZA Frontispiece 
 
 DANCING GIRLS 60 
 
 THE SIMORG IOO 
 
 AFREETS 112 
 
 MONSTERS 166 
 
 RUSTEM SLAYING A DRAGON 170 
 
 RUSTEM SLAYING THE WHITE GENIUS 180 
 
 THE DEATH OF A SIMORG 234 
 
 THE CHASE 252 
 
 THE DEATH OF RUSTEM 254 
 
 KAILYAL 266 
 
 GLENDOVEERS 268 
 
 THE OVERTHROW OF RAVANEN 272 
 
 KEHAMA 276 
 
 KEHAMA'S ARCHERS SHOOTING AT LADURLAD ... 278 
 CAMDEO... 280 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 SOUTHEY'S Oriental Romances, Thalaba the 
 Destroyer and The Cicrse of Kehama, are, 
 I suppose, almost wholly unknown to the 
 younger generation of readers. It must be 
 confessed that they are not commended by 
 their metrical form ; but they display great 
 power of imagination, and convey an admirable 
 moral. I have tried to tell these two stones in 
 prose. 
 
 I have added the Story of Rustem, greatly 
 condensed, from Firdausi's Shah-Nameh, or 
 Book of the Kings. I have availed myself of 
 M. Jules Mohl's translation from the Persian, 
 a popular edition of which, in seven octavo 
 volumes, was published under the care of 
 Madame Mohl in the years 1876-8. It was 
 necessary to take some liberties with the story, 
 for the chief of which I may plead the authority 
 

 viii PREFACE. 
 
 of Mr. Matthew Arnold, who, in his beautiful 
 poem of " Sohrab and Rustem," represents the 
 father as believing that the child born to him 
 by his Tartar wife is a girl. In Firdausi's 
 poem he knows that he has a son, but cannot 
 believe that so young a child can be his 
 stalwart antagonist. 
 
 The illustrations are taken from Persian 
 and Indian MSS. in the British Museum. 
 
 HADLEY GREEN, 
 
 Sept. 21, 1886. 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE MAGICIANS. 
 
 MANY years ago there was in Arabia a great 
 Society of very powerful magicians. These by 
 diligent practice of their art had learnt such 
 spells that they could do almost what they 
 would, even to making the sun dark at noon- 
 day. There was no end to the wickedness 
 that they did, and the whole country groaned 
 from the tyranny which they exercised upon 
 it. These magicians had their chief meeting- 
 place in a great cave under the sea, which was 
 called the Domdaniel cavern ; and here, when 
 this story begins, they were assembled to de- 
 liberate about a very grave matter. It had 
 been revealed to them by their art that a child 
 had been born in Arabia who should destroy 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 them and their dwelling, unless indeed they 
 could first kill him. Further, they had learnt 
 that this child was the son of a certain 
 Hodeirah, an Arab chief who lived in the 
 desert. Knowing this, the heads of the 
 Society assembled together, and drew lots 
 who should go to kill Hodeirah and his wife 
 and children. He had eight children, and as 
 the magicians did not know who among the 
 eight should be the Destroyer, it was needful 
 that all should be slain. One of the Society, 
 whose name was Okba, drew the lot, and went 
 immediately to do his errand, and the others 
 waited till he should return ; and as he could 
 transport himself by his art in a moment of 
 time whithersoever he would, they had no need 
 to wait long. 
 
 There were three that sat together in the 
 cavern ; that is to say, three of greater note 
 than the rest, namely, Khawla, the witch, and 
 Lobaba, and Abdaldar. Before these three 
 burned ten flames, that sprang up from the 
 rocky floor of the cavern, and burned without 
 fuel.. One flame was the life of Hodeirah, and 
 one the life of Zeinab his wife, and there was a 
 
THE MEETING OF THE MAGICIANS. 
 
 flame for the life of each of his eight children. 
 " Burn flames," cried Abdaldar, " burn while 
 the race of Hobdeirah lives." As they looked 
 the flames began to grow dim and to waver. 
 " Curse on him ! " cried Khawla the witch, "curse 
 on Okba's hasty hand ! The fool has failed ; 
 eight only are gone out." 
 
 So saying, she turned to inquire of the 
 Teraph, or oracle, which the magicians had set 
 up in their cave. This oracle was the head 
 of a child, fixed on a plate of gold, and on the 
 plate was written the name of an evil spirit. 
 Only the eyes had life, and the mouth could 
 speak. " Tell me," she said, " is the fire gone 
 out that threatens the race of the magicians ? " 
 
 The head answered, " The fire yet lives." 
 
 At that moment came Okba, bearing in his 
 hand a dagger dripping with blood. " See the 
 flames, Okba," said Khawla the witch. " See 
 how they burn ; and you know that while they 
 burn, we are in danger. Did your heart fail 
 you ? Could you not see ? A curse on your 
 weakness." 
 
 " Khawla," said Okba, " you should have 
 known me better. Eight times I struck, and 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 I struck home ; there needed no second blow. 
 But when I would have struck the ninth time, 
 there came a cloud about me, and my eyes 
 could see nothing. I struck through the cloud 
 with my dagger, and the dagger was driven 
 back upon myself, and I heard a voice that 
 said, ' Cease, son of Perdition. Thou canst 
 not change what is written in the book of 
 fate.' " 
 
 Then Khawla turned again to the oracle. 
 " Tell me," she said, " where our enemy is 
 hidden." 
 
 The dead lips answered, " I behold the sea, 
 and I behold the land, but the boy is neither 
 on the sea nor on the land." 
 
 Lobaba said, " A power that is mightier than 
 we are protects him ; but see ! one of the Fires 
 burns dim ! see, it quivers ! it goes out ! " 
 
 As he spoke, the ninth fire went out ; and 
 only the tenth was left, a pale blue flame that 
 seemed to tremble on the floor, as if the dark- 
 ness would have swallowed it up. But while 
 the magicians looked it grew and grew and 
 spread over all the space where the ten had 
 been. And from thence it extended itself 
 
THE MEETING OF THE MAGICIANS. 5 
 
 over the whole cave, so that the eyes of the 
 Teraph, which before had shone so brightly, 
 were dim in comparison with it ; and the faces 
 of the magicians were ghastly pale as they 
 looked at it. 
 
 Khawla was the first that regained her 
 courage. She called up the chief of the evil 
 spirits that were her servants, and said, " Tell 
 me, Spirit, where lives the boy whose life is 
 in the fire that burns before us ? " 
 
 The Spirit said, " I cannot see him either on 
 the sea or on the earth. Ask some believing 
 spirit ; I cannot answer thee." 
 
 " Bring Hodeirah," said Khawla ; and, in a 
 moment, so mighty were her spells, the dead 
 man was laid at her feet, with the blood not 
 yet clotted on his wound, and in his hand the 
 sword which he had grasped in his death. 
 
 "Art thou in Paradise ?" said Khawla, "or 
 art thou under the throne of Allah ? Wherever 
 thou art, thou shalt hear my voice and obey." 
 
 And she muttered spells so terrible and so 
 strong that Heaven itself trembled to hear 
 them. And as she muttered them, the eye- 
 balls began to roll and the lips to quiver. She 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 rejoiced to see that her spells had such power, 
 and cried, " Hodeirah, tell me where is thy 
 son?" 
 
 Hodeirah groaned and shut his eyes. 
 " Speak ! " cried Khawla again. " Answer me, 
 or thou shalt live for hundreds of years in 
 torture." 
 
 Hodeirah cried, " God deliver me from this 
 agony." " Speak !" cried Khawla again, and 
 snatched a viper from the ground and lashed 
 him with it. But in that moment Allah heard 
 his prayer, and Khawla had nothing but a corpse 
 on which to wreak her rage. Then the fire spread 
 from its place, and wrapped the body about with 
 flames, and consumed both flesh and bones. 
 But the sword was left. Then Khawla said, 
 " The boy must be slain ; but before he can 
 be slain, he must be found. Let us draw lots 
 who shall go and seek for him." 
 
 So they took the arrows of chance, and held 
 them loosely in their hands with their points 
 towards the flame. In a little time the arrow 
 which Abdaldar held began to point to him. 
 So the task fell to the lot of Abdaldar. He 
 was to search through every tribe that dwelt 
 
THE MEETING OF THE MAGICIANS. 7 
 
 in Arabia ; not a solitary tent was he to leave 
 unvisited till the boy should be found. 
 
 But how should he know the boy ? The 
 way that he contrived was this. He had a 
 wonderful ring upon his finger, and in the 
 ring a stone that was more wonderful still. 
 It was made of dew that had been frozen 
 in the very beginning of the world, and had 
 lain with the whole weight of the Caucasus 
 mountains upon it till it had become as blue 
 as the sea. With this ring Abdaldar approached 
 the fire, and caused by his spells that a spark 
 of it should enter into the stone, for he knew 
 that when he should put his hand having this 
 ring on it upon the boy, the spark of fire would 
 go out of the stone. For, being a part of the 
 Boy's life, it would join itself at once to that to 
 which it belonged. So Abdaldar set about his 
 search. 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ASWAD. 
 
 WHERE then was Thalaba that the Spirit could 
 not see him either on the land or on the sea ? 
 When Hodeirah and his children were slain by 
 Okba the Magician, Zeinab fled into the desert 
 with Thalaba, the one son that was left to her, 
 a lad of some twelve years of age. It was 
 night, and she wandered on, not knowing where 
 she was going or what she should do. 
 
 " Mother," said Thalaba, " tell me who slew 
 my father ? " 
 
 " I know not," answered Zeinab, " I did not 
 think that he had an enemy." 
 
 "Well, I will hunt him through the world. 
 Already I can bend my father's bow, and I shall 
 soon have strength to drive an arrow into his 
 heart." 
 
AS WAD. 
 
 "All that is far in the future, my son ; but 
 now we are in the desert." 
 
 And she looked round, but could not see 
 even a tree ; only the dark blue sky closing 
 them round on every side like a great dome. 
 She thought to herself, " Why were we saved ? 
 we shall die here of hunger and thirst ; " and 
 she sat down and wept over the boy. 
 
 A moment after he cried out in wonder, and 
 Zeinab lifted up her head, and saw before her 
 a great palace in the midst of a wood. The 
 trees were such that the very cedars of Lebanon 
 could not match them, and the palace more 
 splendid than any that had ever been built in 
 Egypt or Babylon or Rome. The two went 
 into the wood, and walked on till, under the 
 shade of a mimosa tree, they saw a young man 
 lying on a couch. He had been asleep, but 
 woke at the sound of their steps, and looked 
 with wonder at the new-comers. 
 
 " Forgive us," said Zeinab, " distress has 
 made me bold. Help us ; God blesses them 
 that help the widow and the fatherless." 
 
 "Thank God," said the young man, "that 
 I hear a^ain a human voice. But tell me, who 
 
io THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 are you that you have found your way into this 
 place which no foot of man has trodden for 
 ages?" 
 
 " Yesterday," said Zeinab, " I was a happy 
 wife and mother. To-day I am a widow, and 
 of my children this only is left." 
 
 " Heaven has surely guided you hither," 
 cried the young man, " and lifted the veil which 
 has hidden this place for many ages from the 
 eyes of men. But hear my tale." 
 
 "This is the Paradise of Irem which King 
 Shedad built in his pride. In the days of my 
 youth this was a populous land and rich. The 
 tribe of Ad inhabited it, and there was none 
 whose sons were braver or daughters more fair. 
 My name then was Aswad what ages have 
 passed since I heard it ! I was of noble birth 
 and rich. My father had a hundred horses in 
 his stables ; as for the number of his camels it 
 was not known. We were prosperous and 
 powerful, but alas ! we worshipped idols, and 
 we mocked the prophets of God when they 
 bade us turn from our evil ways and repent. 
 
 " King Shedad conceived in his heart the 
 desire to make a garden in the wilderness more 
 
AS WAD. ii 
 
 beautiful than the Garden of Eden, and to build 
 in the middle of the Garden a palace which 
 should surpass all the palaces upon earth. For 
 this palace gold mines were exhausted, and 
 precious stones, diamonds, and emeralds and 
 rubies and sapphires were gathered from all the 
 world, and ebony, that strange tree which has 
 neither fruit nor leaves, but grows under the 
 earth, where it is discovered by its scent. In 
 the garden there were all the flowers that are 
 known in the world. The trees Shedad trans- 
 planted full grown, for he was not content to 
 wait. And in every walk of the garden there 
 were marble statues of chiefs and heroes. 
 Long since the statues have become mere 
 shapeless lumps of stone, but the trees and the 
 flowers remain, for the care of nature has per- 
 petuated them. When the palace and the 
 garden were finished, there came a great 
 drought upon the country of the children of Ad. 
 For three years there was no rain, till the wells 
 were dried up. We prayed for rain, but we 
 prayed to our idols ; and it was all in vain. 
 There was neither rain nor dew. At last the 
 King sent a messenger, Kail by name, to the 
 
12 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 Red Hillock at Mecca, thinking that the gods 
 would hear our prayers more readily from there. 
 And all the while the prophet Houd, who was 
 a messenger of the true God, continued to 
 warn us, crying, ' Turn, ye men of Ad, from the 
 wrath to come ; ' but we gave no heed to him. 
 
 " At this time it chanced that my father died, 
 and was buried. At his grave, after the custom 
 of the country, we tied a camel, and left it to 
 die, that when the resurrection came, he might 
 find it ready to mount. It was his favourite 
 beast, and it had carried me often when I was 
 a child, and one day as I passed by, it knew 
 me, and turned its eye upon me. Sunk it was 
 and dim, for the beast was nearly dead of 
 hunger. I could not bear to see it, and taking 
 my knife, I cut the rope, and let it go free, 
 thinking that there was no man near to see what 
 I did. But Houd the prophet saw me, and said, 
 ' Blessed art thou, young man, for this good 
 deed. In the day of visitation, God will 
 remember thee.' 
 
 " And, indeed, the day of visitation was at 
 hand. King Shedad had now finished building 
 his palace. So he sent out his commands that 
 
ASWAD. 13 
 
 all his people, men and women, young and old, 
 masters and slaves alike, should come and see 
 his palace, and keep a great feast. On the day 
 appointed they all came. Their tents upon the 
 sands of the desert were as many as the waves 
 of the sea. And the King went up to the top 
 of the highest tower of the palace that he had 
 built, and showed himself. When the people 
 saw him they shouted, ' He is a God ! He 
 is a God ! ' 
 
 " Then in the wantonness of his heart he 
 commanded that the Prophet Houd should be 
 brought. He led the man of God through 
 all the courts with their columns of many- 
 coloured marbles, and the rooms shining with 
 gold and jewels. ' Hast thou ever seen such a 
 sight as this ? ' he said. * They say that Heaven 
 has made thee wiser than other men. Canst thou 
 then tell the value of these things ? ' Houd the 
 prophet answered, ' O Shedad, only in the hour 
 of death can a man value such things.' 
 
 " But the pride of the King was not one whit 
 abated. ' Hast thou fault to find with the 
 building ? ' 
 
 " The prophet said, ' The walls are weak, for 
 
14 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 Azrael, the Angel of Death can enter in. The 
 building is ill-secured, for the Icy Wind, which 
 nothing that lives can endure, can pierce it.' 
 
 " The King's face fell, and his lips were pale 
 with anger. 
 
 " Then he led the Prophet to the top of the 
 tower, and pointed to the multitude ; and when 
 they shouted again, ' He is a God ! He is a 
 God ! ' he asked, ( Say, Prophet, do they not 
 speak the truth ? ' 
 
 " The Prophet said not a word, but when he 
 looked at that great multitude he wept. As he 
 looked there went up a great cry of joy. * The 
 messenger is come ! Kail has returned from 
 Mecca, and he brings back the boon which he 
 sought.' Then we went out, and looked up to 
 the sky, and there was a deep black cloud over 
 our heads. All the people looked up and blest 
 the coming rain. Meanwhile the messenger 
 told his tale to the King. 
 
 " ' I went to Mecca, and knelt at the Red 
 Hillock, and prayed to God for rain. And 
 when I had finished my prayer, I saw three 
 clouds in the sky. One was white like the 
 clouds that hang over the sky at noon ; and one 
 
AS WAD. 
 
 was red, like the clouds that have caught the 
 last rays of the sun in the evening, and the 
 third was black and heavy with its load of rain. 
 As I looked, there came a voice from Heaven, 
 * Choose, Kail, one of these three.' So I chose 
 the black cloud that was heavy with rain.' 
 
 " ' You chose right,' said the King. And 
 all the people shouted ' Right ! ' But the 
 Prophet stood up and cried, ' Woe to the 
 children of Ad, for death is gone up into her 
 palaces ! ' Then he turned to the multitude 
 and said, l Fly from the wrath to come, ye 
 who would save your souls alive, for strong is 
 the hand that holds the bow, and His arrows 
 err not from their mark ! ' 
 
 " Then a few faithful souls came out from 
 the throng and followed him. But the rest 
 answered him with laughter or with curses. 
 And when he was about to depart with the 
 faithful few, he looked back and his eye fell on 
 me. He called me by my name, ' Aswad ! ' 
 I heard him and trembled. Again he said, 
 ' Aswad ! ' and I had almost followed ; but I 
 was afraid of the laughter of my friends, and I 
 stayed, and the opportunity was lost. 
 
i6 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " When the Prophet had departed the cloud 
 grew blacker and blacker. At length it 
 opened, but there was no rain there, only the 
 Icy Wind of Death. Thousands and tens of 
 thousands fell all around me, till the King and 
 all his people had perished ; and I was left 
 alone. Then there came a voice, * Aswad, in the 
 day of visitation God hath remembered thee ! ' 
 
 " I tried to go forth from the scene of death. 
 The way was open and I could see no barrier, 
 but there was a chain round the place that I 
 could not pass. Twice I attempted to pass. 
 The third time the Voice said, ' Aswad, be 
 content, and bless the Lord. Repent of thy 
 misdeeds, and when thy soul is prepared, 
 breathe thy wish to die,- and Azrael shall 
 come." 
 
 " And here I have lived since that day, I 
 know not for how many ages. I have heard 
 no sound but of the fountain as it rises and 
 falls, and of the tree as it whispers in the wind. 
 My clothing has not grown old, and my sandal 
 is not worn upon my foot. But sinner that I 
 am, I dare not ask to die." 
 
 This was the tale that Aswad told. Zeinab 
 
ASWAD. 17 
 
 said, " You are blessed, Aswad. The Lord 
 who has saved you from destruction will call 
 you when He sees fit. But oh, that when I 
 wished to die Azrael might come for me ! 
 This very hour would I go to Hodeirah and 
 my children ! " 
 
 As she spoke there was heard the rushing of 
 wings, and Azrael stood beside the three. His 
 face was dark and solemn, and indeed he never 
 smiles, but it was not stern. " Zeinab," he 
 said, "thy prayer is heard. As wad, thy hour 
 is come." When they heard him speak, they 
 fell upon the ground and blessed the voice. 
 " Me too ! me too ! " cried Thalaba, " O angel 
 of Death, take me too ! " 
 
 "Son of Hodeirah," said the angel, "it is 
 not thine hour. Thou art chosen to do the 
 will of Heaven, to avenge thy father's death, 
 and to do the mightiest work that ever was 
 done by man. Live and remember this : 
 " Destiny hath marked thee from mankind." 
 In a moment he was gone. And when 
 Thalaba looked round him, the palace and the 
 gardens had vanished away, and he was alone 
 in the desert. 
 
 3 
 
i8 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOW ABDALDAR THE MAGICIAN SOUGHT FOR 
 THALABA. 
 
 ABDALDAR travelled over all Arabia, searching 
 for Thalaba. From tribe to tribe, from town 
 to town, even from tent to tent he passed. 
 When he rose in the morning the wish to find 
 the lad was the first that came into his mind, 
 and when he lay down to sleep it was the last 
 thing that he thought. Even in his dreams it 
 was with him : many times did he come upon 
 some lad whose look and bearing seemed to be 
 such as the fated youth should have ; but when 
 he had warily applied the ring to him, the fire 
 in the ring still burned, and he knew that he 
 had not finished his search. 
 
 At last, when the year was nearly ended, he 
 came to a solitary tent, the cords of which were 
 stretched in a grove of palms. The grove 
 
ABDALDAR SOUGHT FOR THALABA. 19 
 
 stood in the middle of the desert, like an island 
 in the middle of the sea. There he saw a girl 
 standing under a palm, holding out her apron 
 and looking up to a boy who had climbed into 
 the tree, and was clinging with one arm to the 
 trunk, while with the other he pulled and 
 threw down clusters of dates. Abdaldar 
 approached the tree. He leant upon his staff, 
 and sweat stood upon his forehead. He 
 looked like a venerable old man, somewhat 
 wearied with his day's journey. 
 
 "Will it please you to give me some food ? " 
 he said. 
 
 The girl offered him dates from her lap, and 
 the boy ran to the tent and fetched him a 
 draught of water. Meanwhile the master of 
 the tent, Moath by name, came out and saluted 
 the stranger, and bade them spread a meal 
 for the traveller. They spread it under a 
 Tamarind tree, rice as white as snow, and 
 dates, and figs, and water from the well. The 
 girl also brought water in which she had 
 steeped the acid fruit of the Tamarind. No 
 one who had drunk of this would wish for wine, 
 so refreshing is it. She blushed for joy when 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 the stranger praised it and drank again. 
 Meanwhile the boy had fetched a melon. He 
 had made a hole in the rind days before, and 
 had closed the wound with wax ; and now all 
 the pulp had been changed into a most delicious 
 liquid. This he offered to the guest. 
 
 Abdaldar ate and was satisfied. And as he 
 ate he talked of his travels, for he had seen 
 many countries in his life. Moath sat pleased 
 to listen to him ; and the girl listened as she 
 took away the dishes, standing with her hands 
 full to hear what he might next say. But none 
 listened so eagerly as Thalaba ; and to Thalaba 
 the traveller with seeming kindness chiefly 
 addressed his talk. With round eyes and open 
 mouth the boy sat, and, that he might not lose 
 a word of such delightful talk, came close to 
 the old man. And he, as if in familiar mood, 
 laid his hand on Thalaba's arm, and in a 
 moment the fire out of the ring had fled. 
 
 Abdaldar grew pale with joy, for his search 
 was ended. But at the very moment Moath 
 said, " It is the hour of prayer. Let us first 
 make our ablutions, and afterwards praise the 
 Lord." 
 
HOW ABDALDAR SOUGHT FOR THALABA. 2; 
 
 The boy fetched water from the well ; and 
 they made their ablutions according to the law, 
 and bent their heads to the earth in prayer. 
 
 Abdaldar did not bend his head, but stood 
 over Thalaba with his dagger in his hand. 
 But before the arm which he had lifted to strike 
 had the power to descend, the Simoom, the 
 deadly wind of the desert, blew. Moath and 
 Thalaba and the girl, Oneiza, did not feel it, 
 for they were prostrate in prayer ; but it smote 
 Abdaldar ; and when they rose, they saw the 
 traveller lying dead with the dagger in his hand. 
 
 When they were about to bury the Magician, 
 Thalaba spied a ring upon his finger and said, 
 " See, Oneiza, the dead man has a ring ! 
 Should it be buried with him ? " 
 
 " Surely," she answered, " he was a wicked 
 man, and all that he had was wicked." 
 
 " But see how it catches the sunlight and 
 throws it back again. It is a marvellous stone." 
 
 " Why do you take it, Thalaba ? Why do 
 you look at it so close ? It may have a charm 
 to blind or poison you. Throw it in the grave, 
 I would not touch it." 
 
 " And round its rim are large letters." 
 
22 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 "Bury.it, bury it." 
 
 " It is not written as the Koran is written. 
 Perhaps it is in some other tongue. The 
 accursed man said he had been a traveller." 
 
 Meanwhile Moath came out of the tent, and 
 asked, " Thalaba, what have you there ? " 
 
 " A ring the dead man wore. Perhaps, 
 father, you can read its meaning." 
 
 " No, boy ; the letters are not such as ours. 
 Heap the sand over it; a wicked man wears 
 nothing holy." 
 
 " Nay, do not bury it. Perhaps some 
 traveller may come to our tent who can read it. 
 Or we may find a learned man in some city 
 who can interpret it." 
 
 "It were better hid under the sands of the 
 desert. It is likely that this wretched man 
 whom God smote in the very moment of his 
 crime was a Magician, and that these lines are 
 of the language which the demons use. There 
 is, I have heard, a great company of magicians 
 that have their place of meeting in the Dom- 
 daniel caverns under the sea." 
 
 "And was he who would have killed me one 
 of these ? " 
 
HO W ABDALDAR SOUGHT FOR THALABA. 23 
 
 "That I do not know. It may be that your 
 name is written in the book of fate as their 
 Destroyer, and that God saved your life that 
 you might do this work." 
 
 " Think you that the ring has some strange 
 power ? " 
 
 " Every gem, wise men say, has a power of 
 its own. Some grow pale or dark and warn 
 the wearer against poison. Some blunt the 
 edge of the sword. Some discover hidden 
 treasures ; and others, again, give us power to 
 see spirits." 
 
 " Father, I will w r ear this ring." 
 
 " Think, Thalaba, what you are doing." 
 
 "In the name of God ! if its power be for 
 good, well ; if for evil, then God and my faith 
 in Him shall hallow it." 
 
 So he put on the ring of gold with the 
 strange letters written on it. After this they 
 laid the body of Abdaldar in the grave, and 
 levelled the dust of the desert over him. 
 
 The next day, at sunrise, when Thalaba 
 went to make his ablutions, he found the grave 
 open and the body bare. It was not the wind 
 that had swept away the sand, for the dew lay 
 
24 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 imdried upon the dust about it. Indeed the 
 night had been so calm and still that not 
 a ripe date had been shaken down from the 
 palms. 
 
 When Moath heard the story he said, " I 
 have heard that there are places made so holy 
 by holy men having dwelt in them, that if a 
 dead body should be laid in them they cast him 
 out. It may be that this is such a place. Or 
 can it be that this man is so foul with sorcery 
 and wickedness that heaven and earth alike 
 reject him ? We had best forsake the station. 
 Let us strike our tent. And see there the 
 vulture ! It has already scented its prey. 
 And, indeed, that is the best sepulchre for 
 this accursed one." 
 
 Then they purified themselves from the pol- 
 lution of death. Thalaba drew up the cords 
 of the tent, and Moath furled it, and Oneiza 
 led the camels out of the grove of palms to 
 receive their load. The dew was dried from 
 the ground when they left the Island of palms; 
 when they halted at noon they could see them 
 in the distance, as we see the sails of a fleet 
 far off at sea. At sunset the Island had 
 
HO W ABDALDAR SOUGHT FOR THALABA. 25 
 
 passed out of their sight. Then they pitched 
 their tent and lay down to sleep. 
 
 At midnight Thalaba felt that the ring 
 moved upon his finger. The magicians of 
 the cave knew by their art that he had pos- 
 sessed himself of it, and sent an evil spirit to 
 steal it from him. He called on the name of 
 God, and Moath heard him. " What ails you, 
 Thalaba?" he cried. " Are there robbers in 
 the tent ? " 
 
 " See you not a spirit in the tent ? " 
 " I see moonlight shining, and I see you 
 standing in it, and I see your shadow, but I 
 see no more." 
 
 The lad said no more to Moath, but spoke 
 to the spirit, " Spirit, what brings thee hither ? 
 In the name of God, I charge thee to tell me." 
 " I came for the ring." 
 " Who was he that slew my father ? " 
 " Okba, the magician, slew him." 
 " Where does the murderer dwell ? " 
 "In the Domdaniel cavern under the sea." 
 " Why was my father slain and his children 
 with him ? " 
 
 " Because we know that the Destroyer was 
 to come of the race of Hodeirah." 
 
26 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " Bring me my father's sword." 
 
 "A fire surrounds it. Neither Spirit nor 
 Magician can pierce that fire." 
 
 " Bring me his bow and arrows." 
 
 Moath and Oneiza, who stood watching from 
 the inner tent, heard Thalaba speak ; but they 
 could not hear the Spirit, for the sound of his 
 voice was too fine for their ears. And now, as 
 they listened, there was a rattle of arrows, and 
 they saw a full quiver laid at the lad's feet, and 
 a bow in his hand. He looked at the bow with 
 joy, and twanged the string. Then he spoke 
 again to the Spirit, " In the name of God, I 
 command thee and all thy fellows never to 
 trouble this tent again." 
 
 And from that hour no evil spirit came 
 again to the tent. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND. 
 
 AND now Thalaba lived in peace in Moath's 
 tent four years or so, till he was grown to a 
 man's strength and stature. He could bend 
 his father's bow, nor use his whole strength 
 to do it. He was tall and shapely. Indeed 
 there was not a handsomer or stronger youth 
 in the whole of Arabia. Moath loved him as 
 a son. He had found him years before alone 
 in the wilderness, weeping for his mother, and 
 pitied him. But when he heard his wonderful 
 tale, and saw how his heart was set on a great 
 task that he had to do, his pity was changed 
 into reverence, and he kept the boy with such 
 care as he would have kept a trust from God. 
 Moath loved Thalaba as father loves his son, 
 and Oneiza loved him as a sister loves her 
 brother, and Thalaba loved them both dearly 
 
28 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 in return. The master of the Tent was neither 
 rich nor poor. God had given him enough 
 and a contented mind. Camels he had which 
 Thalaba tended ; and goats which Oneiza 
 milked. The clothes that they wore were 
 spun by the maid's nimble fingers. So they 
 lived happily, wanting nothing from without. 
 
 Nevertheless, in his inmost heart Thalaba 
 was not content, but thought of the work to 
 which he was called, and was impatient to set 
 about it. He would often dream that the time 
 was come, would dream that he had lifted his 
 hand to strike his father's murderer, and that 
 he had his hand upon the sword that was 
 circled with fire. 
 
 One day, he and Oneiza were amusing them- 
 selves with Hodeirah's bow, for now the girl 
 had strength enough to bend it, and could send 
 an arrow straight up into the air, so far that 
 the eye could scarcely follow its flight. As he 
 looked he said, " When will the hour come for 
 me to use these arrows in avenging my father ? 
 Am I not strong enough ? or can the will of 
 Heaven be changed, and I am not to be 
 called ? " 
 
HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND. 29 
 
 " Impatient boy," said Moath, smiling. 
 
 "Impatient Thalaba ! " said Oneiza, smiling 
 also, but somewhat sadly. 
 
 Just at that moment there passed over their 
 heads a cloud of locusts, winging their way 
 eastward from Syria. 
 
 " See," said Moath, " see how all things obey 
 their doom ! They have done their appointed 
 work, eating up the fields of men for their sins, 
 and now they go to their graves. She how the 
 birds follow them, and soar above them, and 
 thin them as they fly, rejoicing in their banquet. 
 Do you think, as some would tell you, that 
 these birds, which we welcome as the destroyers 
 of the locusts, are brought hither by the charms 
 of the priests ? Not so God sends the locusts 
 to punish man, and He sends also the birds to 
 rid us of them when the time is come." 
 
 Meanwhile Oneiza was looking up to where 
 one of the birds was flying above her head. 
 As she looked, he dropped a locust from his 
 talons, and it fell upon her robe. Beautiful was 
 the creature, with its grass-green body and 
 double sets of wings, and its jet-black eyes, and 
 glossy glistening breastplate, as it seemed. 
 
30 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 As she looked, she seemed to see mysterious 
 lines upon its forehead. " Look, father ! do you 
 know what is here written ? " she cried ; and to 
 Thalaba, " Look ! it may be that these lines 
 ' are written in the language of the ring." 
 
 Thalaba bent down and looked. In a mo- 
 ment his cheeks grew red, and he started back, 
 for these lines could be plainly read, " When 
 the Sun shall be darkened at noon, depart, Son 
 of Hodeirah." 
 
 Moath and Oneiza were troubled, but Thalaba 
 rejoiced. Every day at noon he watched the 
 sky. Meanwhile he made new plumes for his 
 arrows, and sharpened their points. 
 
 " Are you weary, then, of the tent ? " said 
 Moath. 
 
 " Not so," said Thalaba, "but I would go and 
 do my work, and return never to leave you any 
 more." 
 
 As Thalaba spoke, Oneiza looked again at 
 the sun, and saw, or thought she saw, a speck 
 upon it. It was so small that none who were 
 watching the sun that day had yet perceived it ; 
 but Oneiza's eyes were sharpened by love. 
 Certainly it was there ; and it grew and grew, 
 
HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND. 31 
 
 and Thalaba put the full quiver on his shoulder, 
 and took the bow in his hand, and prepared to 
 depart. And now half the Sun is covered, 
 and now, again, the day grows dark, and the 
 birds go to roost, and the owl, the bird of night, 
 comes forth, and the eyes of the Hyaena are 
 seen to glare. 
 
 " Farewell, my father ! farewell, Oneiza ! " 
 said Thalaba. 
 
 " Will you not wait for a sign to show the 
 way ? " said Moath. 
 
 " God will conduct me," said Thalaba, and 
 went out into the darkness, and they heard his 
 steps as he went, and the quiver rattling on his 
 shoulders. 
 
 He had not gone far when he saw a dim 
 shape in the darkness. As he looked it grew 
 brighter, and he recognized the form and face of 
 his mother. " Go," she said, "to Babylon, and 
 ask the Angels for the talisman." 
 
 The spirit came towards him as it spake, as 
 though to give him a mother's kiss, and Thalaba 
 ran forward. But all that he felt was the wind 
 playing on his cheek, and all that he saw was 
 the darkness. " Mother, mother ! " he cried, 
 "let me see you again." 
 
32 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " You shall see me," she said, " in the hour 
 of death." 
 
 Then the day dawned again, and the dark- 
 ness dispersed. Thalaba went on full of hope, 
 and of the expectation of great deeds, and of 
 how he should come back some day to Moath's 
 tent, and of all his thoughts Oneiza was a part. 
 At sunset he came to a well, over which hung 
 an Acacia tree. Then he made his ablutions, 
 and said his prayers, and then brought out his 
 provision of food. As he ate, came a traveller 
 on a camel, who greeted him courteously, and 
 sat down beside him by the well, and kept him 
 company over his meal. The stranger was an 
 old man, but vigorous, and one who scarcely 
 seemed to need the staff which he carried. His 
 eyes were quick and piercing, and his beard long 
 and curly. He was courteous in manner, and 
 his talk ready, and full of knowledge. A 
 traveller could scarce have a more pleasant 
 companion on his way. 
 
 As they talked, Thalaba asked, " Whither 
 are you bent ? " 
 
 " I go to Bagdad," said the old man. 
 
 Thalaba' s eyes kindled with joy to hear the 
 word. 
 
HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND. 33 
 
 "And I too," he said. " May I be your 
 companion ? " 
 
 " Willingly," said the other. 
 
 Then they talked further together. 
 
 " You are young to travel." 
 
 " I have never yet come beyond the desert." 
 
 " We are bound for a noble city ; you will 
 see splendid palaces and mosques and rich 
 bazaars, to which merchants bring all the 
 wealth of the world." 
 
 " Is it not Bagdad near the site of ancient 
 Babylon ? " 
 
 " Even so, a long day's journey." 
 
 "And the ruins?" 
 
 " There is a mighty mass of them ; enough 
 to tell us how great were our fathers in compa- 
 rison of us." 
 
 " Do not the angels Haruth and Maruth 
 atone for their sin at Babylon ? " 
 
 " There is a tale that they do. But Igno- 
 rance believes many falsehoods for truth. 
 What have you heard of these same angels ? " 
 
 " This. Once on a time the angels, 
 talking in heaven, expressed their wonder at 
 the obstinacy of man, that though signs and 
 
 4 
 
34 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 tokens were given to him, and prophets sent to 
 exhort him, nevertheless he would not repent. 
 So stubborn a creature, they said, should have 
 mercy refused to him for ever. God heard 
 their unforgiving pride, and commanded two 
 of those spirits that had not fallen, because 
 they had not been tempted, to descend to the 
 earth, and judge men's causes. For a time 
 they judged righteously, but when an exceed- 
 ingly beautiful woman came before them, they 
 were tempted. ' Tell me,' said the woman, 
 ' the name of God.' So they told her ; and in 
 a moment, by the power of that name, she was 
 lifted up to heaven, and accused them before 
 the judgment seat of God. They were called, 
 but had no defence ; only they entreated that 
 the punishment of their sin might not endure 
 for ever, but might at the last restore them 
 purified to their place in heaven. This is the 
 tale that I have heard." 
 
 " And you have heard also, doubtless, that 
 the place of their punishment is at Babylon, 
 and that there magicians seek them, and force 
 from their unwilling lips the secrets of sor- 
 cery.'' 
 
HOW THALABA WENT ON HIS ERRAND. 35 
 
 " Is not this true ?" 
 
 11 Have you never seen some familiar shape 
 distorted in the twilight into something uncouth 
 and strange." 
 
 -Often?" 
 
 " Just so common things viewed through the 
 mist of error terrify men's minds." 
 
 " But is it written in the Book that Haruth 
 and Maruth were thus condemned ? " 
 
 " God often teaches us by fables." 
 
 " But is not the place of their punishment at 
 Babylon ? " 
 
 "Yes, at Babylon they are to be found. 
 But enough for the present. Night is at hand. 
 I am an old man, and my eyes are heavy. We 
 shall have time enough to talk to-morrow. 
 Peace be with you, my son." 
 
36 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW THALABA FARED ON HIS JOURNEY. 
 
 THE old traveller wrapped his cloak round him, 
 and lay down to sleep. Thalaba also laid 
 himself down. For a while he watched the 
 moon shining through the leaves of the acacia ; 
 then fell asleep. As for his companion, he 
 only seemed to sleep, for indeed he was the 
 Magician Lobaba, who had come from the 
 Domdaniel caverns to slay, if it might be 
 possible, the Destroyer. When he knew from 
 the youth's long and regular breathing that he 
 slept, he rose stealthily from his place, and 
 bending over him looked closely at him. 
 Deeply in his heart he cursed Abdaldar's 
 ring that kept him safe. It was to be seen on 
 Thalaba's finger as he lay with his head on his 
 arm, and the light of the moon was reflected 
 from the gem. Lobaba put out his hand, 
 
HOW THALABA FARED ON HIS JOURNEY. 37 
 
 trying to take it, but could not ; he called the 
 fiends that served him, and bade them rob the 
 sleeping youth. But they were powerless, one 
 and all. And at last the Sorcerer, baffled and 
 full of rage, lay down again. Force could not 
 help him, but he might prevail by temptation. 
 
 The morning sunshine fell upon Thalaba's 
 eyes, and woke him. He rose, and folded his 
 mantle round him, and after ablutions duly 
 made and prayers duly said, girded his loins 
 for the day's journey. So did the Magician 
 also, insulting God with the vain show of 
 worship. Then they filled their water-skins at 
 the spring, and gave the camel a full draught, 
 and went on their way. 
 
 "Is it true," said Thalaba, " that magicians 
 go to learn the secrets of their wicked art from 
 the angels at Babylon ? " 
 
 " It is true and it is false." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 "All things have a double use. The fire 
 that warms us on the hearth may burn the 
 house ; the sun ripens the harvest and darts 
 fever into our veins ; and the iron that the 
 hunter uses may arm the hand of a murderer." 
 
38 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 -What then?" 
 
 " Nothing is good or evil in itself, but only 
 in its use. All men hold the physician in 
 honour, but there are some who use their skill 
 to poison the cup which a friend drinks ; but is 
 his knowledge therefore evil ? " 
 
 " It were folly to think so." 
 
 " O what a noble creature were man, if he 
 knew his own powers and gave them room to 
 grow and spread ! The Horse obeys his will ; 
 the Camel carries him across the deserts ; the 
 Pigeon bears his messages. He is content 
 with these conquests, when he might have 
 myriads of Spirits obey him." 
 
 " But how ? only surely by making that 
 covenant with Hell which binds the soul to 
 death." 
 
 " Was Solomon then accursed of God ? Did 
 not the birds make a canopy over him with 
 their wings when he bade them ? Did not the 
 Genii build the Temple for him ? " 
 
 " God gave him his wisdom as a special 
 reward for his goodness." 
 
 " Aye, and God will always give wisdom as 
 the reward of study. 'Tis a well of which all 
 
HOW THALABA FARED ON HIS JOURNEY. 39 
 
 might drink ; but few dig deep enough. What- 
 ever powers God has made it possible for man 
 to reach, it is lawful for him to attain, if he can. 
 The knowledge that it does not befit him to 
 have, has been placed beyond his reach. Those 
 who go to Babylon, and learn mysterious 
 wisdom from the angels, do no wrong." 
 " Do you know any of their secrets ? " 
 " Alas ! my son, I know but enough to see 
 how great is my ignorance. My age has been 
 given to study, but I can only regret in vain 
 the careless indolence of my youth. Yet some- 
 thing I know of the properties of herbs, and 
 have often brought comfort to the afflicted by 
 my art, blessed by Him without whose blessing 
 nothing avails. Also of gems I know some- 
 thing." 
 
 " Can you interpret what is written round 
 this ring ? " 
 
 " My sight is weak, let me see it closer." 
 The unsuspecting Thalaba was about to draw 
 the ring from his finger, when a wasp settled 
 on the joint above the ring, and stung it. The 
 flesh rose hot and purple round the ring ; and 
 the Magician, baffled again, knew the hand of 
 
40 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 Heaven, and blasphemed in his heart. Then 
 he devised another scheme. At noon there 
 rose a mist. For a time the Sun guided them 
 on their way, and it was pleasant to travel 
 without the heat. But this guidance soon 
 failed them. An impenetrable mass of cloud 
 hung over the wilderness. 
 
 " Do you know the track ? " said Thalaba, 
 " or shall we wait till the wind scatters this 
 fog?" 
 
 " Let us hold on," said the Magician. "If 
 we go astray, the Sun will set us right to- 
 morrow." 
 
 So they went deeper and deeper into the 
 wilderness. That night they lay down to sleep 
 in the darkness, and the next morning when 
 Thalaba awoke he did not know which way to 
 turn for his prayers. 
 
 " Shall we go on," said Lobaba, " or shall we 
 wait? If we go, we may lose ourselves yet 
 worse ; if we wait, food and drink may fail us." 
 
 " Let us go," answered Thalaba; "we may 
 find, it may be, some tent or grove of palms. 
 To wait were to wait for death." 
 
 And willingly the Magician led the youth 
 
HOW THALABA FARED ON HIS JOURNEY. 41 
 
 still deeper into the desert. The mist hung 
 over it still ; it was there at night when they 
 lay down to sleep ; it was there as thick as ever 
 when they awoke in the morning. And now 
 the water-skin was light, though they used its 
 precious contents with prudence. During the 
 third night, as Thalaba lay in a broken sleep, 
 he heard in his dreams the sound of rushing 
 winds ; but when he awoke, there was still the 
 same deadly calm. So another day passed, and 
 now the water-skin was empty. 
 
 Then the travellers heard a hopeful sound, 
 the sound of the wind. In a few minutes the 
 mist was scattered, and they saw again the face 
 of heaven. But what a scene it was on which 
 they opened their eyes ! No well was near, no 
 palm grove, no tent. The skin lay flat on the 
 camel, and the poor beast could scarcely drag 
 his weary feet across the sand. 
 
 At the height of their despair there burst 
 upon their eyes a beautiful sight, a green 
 meadow spangled with flowers. Surely a 
 stream must flow through it. The Camel saw 
 it, and hurried on with fresh spirit. But when 
 they reached the place, they found that the 
 
42 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 flowers were nothing better than the bitter 
 herbs of gentian and senna. Lobaba said, 
 " Son, we must slay the camel, or we shall 
 perish. Your young hand is strong and firm ; 
 draw forth your knife and pierce him." 
 
 No one who saw the old man with suffering 
 face, dry lips, and feverish eyes, would have 
 dreamt that in truth he felt no pain or distress, 
 such was the strength of his magic. Thalaba 
 paused for a moment ; but when he saw his 
 companion's distress, and saw the poor beast 
 lie at his feet worn out with want, he did not 
 hesitate any more, but taking the knife from 
 his girdle drew it across the camel's throat. 
 " Little will your death profit us," he thought, 
 as he poured into their water-skin the scanty 
 portion that was hoarded in the camel's stomach. 
 For a day it lasted them. Then it was ex- 
 hausted, and still there was no cloud nor hope 
 of rain. 
 
 Lobaba said, " Let me look at the Ring." 
 So he took the youth's hand and viewed the 
 writing close. "Joy!" he cried, "whosoever 
 bears this stone may command the Genii. Call 
 them, my son ; bid them save us." 
 
HO W THA LAB A FA RED ON HIS JO URNE Y. 43 
 
 "No," said Thalaba, " shall I distrust my 
 God ? If He will not save us, the Genii 
 cannot help." 
 
 Whilst he was speaking, Lobaba's eyes were 
 fixed on the distance with such terror in them 
 that Thalaba looked to see what it might mean. 
 He saw columns of sand burning red with the 
 sun upon them, rushing before the wind and 
 coming towards them. As they looked the 
 foremost of them burst, scattering the burning- 
 sand about it. 
 
 "Save us!" cried the Magician, "save us by 
 the Ring ! " 
 
 Thalaba made no answer, but gazed wonder- 
 ing and awestruck on the sight. 
 
 "Why do you wait?" cried the old man. 
 "If God will not save, call on the Powers that 
 will." 
 
 "Ah!" said Thalaba, "now I know you, 
 accursed sorcerer ; you have led me hither, 
 hoping that for fear of death I should sell my 
 soul to sin." 
 
 u Fool ! call on him whose name is written 
 on the Ring or die ! " 
 
 " Die thou." And as he spoke he put an 
 
44 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 arrow on the bowstring, and drew the bow to 
 the full, and let fly. The arrow sped true to 
 its aim, smiting the Sorcerer full upon the 
 breast, but the astonished Thalaba saw the 
 point recoil blunted. 
 
 Lobaba smiled bitterly. " Try again your 
 earthly arms. The Power I serve does not 
 desert his votaries as He does whom you 
 worship." 
 
 As he spoke, he called by his magic art a 
 chariot of the air, that moved of its own power. 
 On this he climbed, and cried to Thalaba, 
 " Come hither ; you have been my fellow- 
 traveller, and I am yet willing to save you. 
 Mount this chariot and you are safe." 
 
 Thalaba did not deign to answer him. But 
 as he looked, another of the great columns of 
 sand came eddying across the desert. It struck 
 Lobaba as he sat in his chariot, and laid him a 
 corpse upon the ground ; but over Thalaba, 
 who had thrown himself with his face to the 
 earth, it passed harmless. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WHAT THALABA SAW AT BABYLON. 
 
 THALABA rose from the earth, and bent his head 
 in prayer. When he lifted it up, the sky was 
 overcast with clouds, which before long came 
 down in rain. He bared his head, and stretched 
 his hands to the shower, and felt refreshed. As 
 he did this he heard a loud, quick panting, and 
 looking up saw a tiger run by, its head hanging 
 low, its dry tongue lolling out of its mouth. 
 Thalaba knew that the beast was searching for 
 water, and following it at a distance saw it 
 stoop down and drink. A pelican had built its 
 nest in the wilderness, and had carried thither 
 a stock of water for its young, which were 
 swimming and dipping their heads in the bath. 
 When the tiger approached, they crowded 
 nestling under their mother's wings ; the beast 
 drank, but did not harm them. Of the tiger the 
 
46 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 mother bird had no fear, for it was a familiar 
 guest. But when the man came near she 
 menaced him with her wings and outstretched 
 neck, emboldened by a mother's terrors. 
 Thalaba drank and filled his water-skin, yet 
 left enough for life to the pelican and her 
 young. Then as he departed he blessed the 
 carrier-bird, the dweller in the desert, and Him, 
 the Common Father, who provides for all His 
 creatures, and so went with new strength and 
 confidence on his way. 
 
 After many a day's toil he came to Bagdad. 
 There indeed, for all its pomp and wealth, 
 though the merchants of East and West met 
 in her bazaars, and long troops of laden camels 
 lined her streets, and Tigris bore fleets of 
 vessels on his stream, Thalaba did not linger 
 for a day. He loathed everything that should 
 delay the hour, when returning from his search, 
 he should hang Hodeirah's sword on the pillar 
 of Moath's tent. Before the sun had risen he 
 passed out of the gates, and the last light of the 
 sun was in the horizon when he came to the 
 ruins of Babylon. It was a desolate place ; the 
 scorpion basked in the palace courts, and the 
 
WHA T THALABA SAW AT BAB YLON. 47 
 
 she-wolf hid her litter in the temples. The 
 Arab never pitched his tent within the walls, 
 and the shepherd drove his flocks far from 
 them. And Thalaba went cautiously, feeling 
 the ground before him with his bow, till he 
 came to a place where he could proceed no 
 longer, the ruins closing him in on every side. 
 He leant against a broken column, thinking 
 what he should next do. Soon he heard steps 
 approaching, and turning saw in the moonlight 
 a man in full armour approaching. 
 
 " Who are you," said the stranger, " that at 
 such an hour you wander in such a place as 
 this ? A traveller that has lost his way ? or a 
 robber hiding his plunder, or a magician with 
 spells to make these ruins disclose the treasures 
 that some say are buried among them ? " 
 
 " I am neither traveller, nor robber, nor 
 magician," said Thalaba ; " I seek the angels, 
 Haruth and Maruth ; but tell me, Stranger, 
 why are you here ? " 
 
 The soldier, himself haughty and fearless, 
 was not ill-pleased with the lad's spirit. " Do 
 you know," he said, " the cause of their punish- 
 ment ? " 
 
48 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " I have been seeking for it in vain." 
 
 " Have you courage to tread a dangerous 
 path ? " 
 
 "Lead on!" 
 
 " Young Arab, if your heart beats evenly in 
 danger ; if you do not fear what makes other 
 men tremble ; if you can look undismayed at 
 what even the soldier well tried in battle might 
 well shrink from, then follow me, for I am bound 
 for the cave." 
 
 " Lead on," said Thalaba again, and Mohareb 
 (for that was the stranger's name) led the 
 way. 
 
 There was a strange sound about the two as 
 they went. It was not the wind, for Thalaba's 
 long locks lay unmoved upon his shoulders. 
 It was not the roar of the river as it rushed 
 down some waterfall, for Euphrates flowed 
 quietly over the plain. It came from the black 
 boiling springs that rose in the great bitumen 
 lake. Along the lake's side the two travellers 
 walked, till they came to a cave out of the 
 mouth of which the black torrent rolled. 
 Mohareb turned to Thalaba and said, " Dare 
 you enter it ? " 
 
WHAT THALABA SAW AT BABYLON. 49- 
 
 " Lead on," said Thalaba the third time, and 
 set his foot inside the cave. 
 
 " Stay, madman! " cried his guide, " would you 
 rush headlong on certain death ? Where are 
 your arms with which to meet the Keeper of 
 the passage ? " 
 
 A loud shriek from the depths of the cavern 
 drowned Thalaba's answer. " Fate favours 
 you," said Mohareb, " or your name had been 
 blotted to-day out of the Book of Life." 
 
 As he spoke he drew a bag from underneath 
 his cloak. " You are a brave boy," he said, 
 "but to leap unprepared into danger, as lions 
 rush upon the hunter's spear, is folly. Zohak 
 the giant keeps the passage, and it is not by 
 force we can win it." He drew a man's hand, 
 shrivelled and dry and black, out of the bag, 
 and fitted a taper into the fingers. " See," said 
 he, " this is a murderer's hand ; the very hand 
 with which he did the deed. I drove the 
 vultures from the stake on which he died im- 
 paled, and cut off the hand, and dried it for 
 nine weeks in the sun. And the taper but 
 you have not learnt these secrets. See how 
 clear it burns, but its ingredients scatter a 
 
 5 
 
50 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 deathly vapour through the cave ; and when 
 the keeper of the passage feels them, it will lull 
 even his agony to sleep, and he will leave the 
 passage free." 
 
 Mohareb led the way with the taper in his 
 hand ; and now they came to where the cave 
 became loftier and narrower. Here Zohak sat 
 with great snakes growing from his shoulders. 
 Mohareb held the taper towards him ; and the 
 magic spell of the taper had such power that 
 his eyes closed in sleep, and he lay all his length 
 along the floor of the passage. But the two 
 snakes were not asleep. They darted out their 
 fiery tongues, and shut the passage. Mohareb 
 drew from his wallet two fresh human heads, 
 and threw them down before them. They 
 turned eagerly to their horrid feast, and the 
 travellers passed unharmed. And now the cave 
 opened wider than before, till they came to a 
 great pit, so deep and black that no eye could 
 pierce its darkness. 
 
 " Here," said Mohareb, " the angels that 
 teach enchantments dwell." 
 
 Thalaba said aloud, " Haruth and Maruth, 
 hear us ! I do not come to learn forbidden 
 
WHAT THALABA SAW AT BABYLON. 51 
 
 secrets. By God's command I am here. Tell 
 me the Talisman." 
 
 " Do you think," said Mohareb, " that you 
 will thus trick them out of their secret ? Keep 
 this righteousness of the lip for the mosque and 
 the market-place. The spirits know the heart ; 
 only compelled by strong and torturing spells 
 will they tell you the secret by which you can 
 descend." 
 
 " Descend ! " cried Thalaba, astonished. 
 
 " What ! " said Mohareb, " have I led some 
 silly prayermonger here ? What brings you to 
 this place ? By heaven you shall pay for your 
 folly in coming." And he lifted his scymitar 
 to strike him. 
 
 He lifted it ; but his arm hung powerless in 
 the air ; for the mighty spell of the Ring forbad 
 it to fall. In a rage he cried, " Then this is 
 your trust in God ! He had failed to save you 
 but for the Ring. It is to spells and magic 
 that you trust after all." 
 
 " Blasphemer ! " cried Thalaba, " do you say 
 that I trust in magic spells for want of faith in 
 God ? See now." And he took Abdaldar's 
 ring from his finger, and threw it into the pit. 
 
52 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 A skinny hand came up, and caught it as it fell, 
 and peals of devilish laughter shook the cave. 
 
 Mohareb's cheek flushed with joy, and he 
 lifted his scymitar again. Thalaba saw the 
 blue gleam of the blade as it descended, and 
 sprang at the soldier, and grappled him breast 
 to breast. Mohareb was sinewy and large of 
 limb, broad shouldered, and his joints well knit, 
 and he was practised in the art of war. 
 Thalaba' s strength was not so mature ; but the 
 inspiration of the moment gave him the strength 
 of a madman. Mohareb reeled before him. 
 With knee and breast and arm he pressed on 
 his enemy and drove him backwards to the very 
 brink of the pit. For a moment they struggled 
 fiercely on the very edge ; then with a fresh 
 impulse of force Thalaba thrust him down, and 
 Mohareb was engulfed in the abyss. 
 
 His breath came fast with the struggle. 
 Panting he breathed out a broken prayer of 
 thankfulness ; then said 
 
 " Haruth and Maruth, are ye here ? or has 
 that servant of sin misled me ? I, Thalaba, 
 Servant of the Lord, invoke you. Hear me ; 
 so may Heaven accept your penitence. I go to 
 
WHAT THALABA SAW AT BABYLON. 53 
 
 root. out of earth the sorcerer brood. Tell me 
 the Talisman I need." 
 
 As he spoke, beyond the abyss he saw the 
 angels reclining on the rock. Their faces were 
 sad ; but guilt and shame had been purged 
 away. This was their answer. " Son of 
 Hodeirah ! thou hast proved it here. The 
 Talisman is Faith." 
 
54 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PARADISE OF SIN. 
 
 THALABA retraced his steps to the outer air. 
 The giant Zohak lay stretched on the ground. 
 He was awake indeed, but he did not reach 
 out his hand to bar the way, fearing to rouse 
 the snakes, which were still lingering over their 
 meal. Gladly Thalaba found himself at last 
 again in the outer air, and gladly he lay down 
 to sleep in the shelter of a ruin of which the 
 roof was yet left. 
 
 The next morning when he awoke, he found 
 a horse standing by his side. Never had he 
 seen one of more faultless shape and brighter 
 eye ; no not even among those that are said 
 to come from King Solomon's own stud. He 
 was adorned with rich trappings of crimson, 
 but had neither bit nor bridle in his mouth. 
 
THE PARADISE OF SIN. 55 
 
 " Surely," said Thalaba to himself, " he is sent 
 by Heaven, and will go as Heaven bids him. 
 It is not the rider who is to guide him." 
 Meanwhile the creature threw up his head, and 
 pawed the ground as if impatient to start. So 
 Thalaba leapt lightly on his back, and in a 
 moment the horse bounded away. Over the 
 plain he sped, and did not halt till the sun was 
 low in the sky. Then he paused ; Thalaba 
 lay down to sleep, and the horse rested by his 
 side. So they travelled on day after day, till 
 one evening, when they halted, the horse 
 sprang away. He had done his errand. The 
 evening was dark, the clouds hiding the moon ; 
 nor could Thalaba hear any sound but of 
 running water ; guiding his way by this, he 
 came to a little stream, one of many with 
 which the ground was intersected. The first 
 from which he stooped to drink was boiling 
 hot ; but the steam rising from his hand 
 warned him in time not to try it. The next 
 was intensely cold. Of this he drank deeply, 
 and thus refreshed lay down to sleep. 
 
 The next day, following the rills, he came to 
 a river into which they flowed. There looking 
 
56 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 about him he saw in the distance a high range 
 of mountains, and, leading up to them, a wide 
 stony valley. Something seemed to tell him 
 that this was the path which he must follow. 
 As he went on, still mounting higher and 
 higher, the valley grew narrower, and the 
 rocks steeper on either side, till at last he 
 came to a place where they met, barring all 
 further passage ; in the barrier indeed there 
 had been hewn an opening, but this was 
 closed by massive gates of iron. A horn with 
 ivory tip and mouth of brass hung by the 
 gates. This Thalaba took, and breathed into 
 the mouth. The blast rang like thunder 
 among the rocks ; and the gates rolled back 
 without any one to move them. He entered, 
 and they closed behind him with a clap like 
 thunder. It was a narrow winding way in 
 which he found himself, lighted by dim lamps 
 that hung from the roof, and descended con- 
 tinually. At last Thalaba found his way 
 barred again by gates of iron, but by these 
 latter also hung a horn of brass and ivory. 
 Thalaba took it and breathed into it. This 
 time the answer came not in thunder, but in 
 
THE PARADISE OF SIN. 57 
 
 the sweetest music that can be imagined. 
 And again the gates rolled back of their own 
 accord. For a moment Thalaba thought he 
 must be in the very garden of Eden. But 
 Eden had no marble terraces, nor tents of 
 cloth of gold, such as could be seen among 
 the perfumed groves and shrubberies of this 
 wonderful place. And then he thought that 
 he must be dreaming, and shut his eyes, but 
 when he opened them again everything was 
 there, palaces and glittering courts and per- 
 fumed groves. As he looked and wondered, 
 an old man of a very gracious and reverend 
 look came forward and greeted him. " Happy 
 youth, go and taste the joys of Paradise. 
 The reinless horse that ranges over the 
 world brings hither only those that are 
 marked out for great deeds. Here they have 
 a foretaste of happiness ; hence they go out 
 bound on great enterprises ; hither they re- 
 turn to an endless felicity. Go then and 
 taste the joys of Paradise." 
 
 He turned away and left the youth silent 
 with wonder. Wherever his eyes could reach 
 he saw new marvels of delight. Through 
 
58 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 openings in the woods he saw rich pavilions 
 curtained with gold. Streams clear as crystal 
 wandered through the shrubbery and lawn. 
 The broad-leaved planes arched over in long 
 colonnades, while round their trunks the vines 
 climbed up, clothing them with a yet fresher 
 green and with clusters of purple and gold. 
 And the ground was carpeted with flowers, 
 tulips streaked with the sky at sunset, and the 
 lily with her snowy head and the red-bosomed 
 rose. The air, too, was full of music, while 
 the nightingale sang from his bower of roses 
 more sweetly than he ever sang on earth, and 
 from far away came the cries of the waterfowls, 
 and now and then, mellowed by the distance, 
 came the voice of merriment. Thalaba wan- 
 dered on, till at length, at the bidding of 
 hunger, he entered a banqueting-room. There 
 on the brink of a fountain, on carpets of silk, 
 sat a company of guests. The air was cooled 
 by the water as it rose and fell ; the very light 
 came cooled through panes of pearly shell, or 
 was tinged saffron or ruby as it fell through 
 vases of wine that filled the openings in the 
 ceiling. In that delicious coolness the re- 
 
THE PARADISE OF SIN. 59 
 
 vellers reclined at ease, and drank from 
 goblets of gold the amber juice of the grapes 
 of Shiraz. Thalaba would have none of the 
 wine, knowing it to be forbidden, and indeed 
 the mother of sins ; nor did the guests offer 
 it a second time, for they saw that this youth 
 was not one who could be turned from his 
 purpose. But he drank the water, water that 
 seemed clearer and purer than when it came 
 from the spring; and partook of the fruits, 
 for there were fruits of all kinds, water-melons 
 with rough rinds that melted on the lips, and 
 pistachio nuts, and amber grapes from Persia 
 that had been dried in the sun till they were 
 all sweetness, and apricots cased in ice, like 
 topazes set in crystal, and oranges on plates 
 of snow. And as he ate, the rich smoke from 
 aloes and sandalwood burning in censers of 
 gold filled the room with perfume. Then came 
 in a troop of dancers, with bells upon their 
 ankles, and danced before the guests, making 
 music as they moved. But Thalaba rose dis- 
 pleased, thinking that it did not become the 
 lover of Oneiza to be in such company, and 
 leaving the banqueting-room wandered forth 
 
60 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 into the garden. As he looked, he could not 
 but remember that he was a lonely man, 
 wandering about the world, and shut out from 
 the joys of home, and for a moment he mur- 
 mured against the will of Heaven. 
 
 Hurrying away from those scenes of revelry, 
 he sought the shade and silence of the wood, 
 and there throwing himself on the ground 
 thought of the desert and of Moath's tent and 
 of Oneiza. As he dreamed he was roused by 
 a cry of distress. It came louder and nearer, 
 and he started up, strung his bow, and plucked 
 an arrow from the quiver. He heard the cry 
 again, and now it was close at hand ; and it 
 was a woman's shriek. In another moment he 
 saw a woman rush through the trees, her veil 
 half torn from her face, and her pursuer close 
 behind. " Help me," she cried, turning to 
 Thalaba. At the word the arrow flew, and 
 did its errand of death. Then he turned to 
 the woman and saw Oneiza. 
 
 When she could breathe again she cried, 
 " O my father ! my father ! " Thalaba lost in 
 wonder and fearing to ask could but wait with 
 her. " They seized me, Thalaba," she said, 
 
Dancing Girls. 
 
THE PARADISE OF SIN. 61 
 
 " they seized me in my sleep at night. My 
 father could not help me ; he is an old man, 
 and they were many and strong. To think 
 that they could have heard his prayer and 
 yet leave him childless ! '' 
 
 " We will seek him ; we will go back to the 
 desert." 
 
 " Alas ! we should not find him. Our tent 
 is desolate. The wind has heaped the sand 
 within the door. My father wanders about 
 the world seeking me. O Thalaba, this is a 
 wicked place ; let us be gone." 
 
 " But how ? How shall we pass the iron 
 gates ? They moved at a breath to let me in, 
 but armies could not stir them for my return." 
 
 "We will climb the mountains that shut in 
 this hateful garden." 
 
 " Are you strong enough to climb ? " 
 
 " Strong enough surely for anything, partly 
 from fear, and partly, dear Thalaba, that you 
 are with me." 
 
 As she spoke she took his hand, and drew 
 him gently towards the mountains. But when 
 they came to the foot of them, they found no 
 slopes gradually leading upward, but steep 
 
62 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 cliffs, rising sheer from the ground. There 
 was no way by which the most skilful and 
 bold of mountaineers could climb. 
 
 " There is no way," said Thalaba, and Oneiza 
 grew pale and her steps flagged. " But stay," 
 said the youth, " I passed a river, a full stream ; 
 the waters cannot be kept in, and where they 
 find a way it may be that we can follow. This 
 way the river runs." 
 
 They followed the course of the stream, as 
 it rolled along full and silent ; but as they 
 advanced they heard a sound as of a waterfall 
 louder and louder, and so came to a place 
 where the whole plunged at one leap down a 
 precipice of rock. 
 
 " God save us ! " cried Oneiza ; " there is no 
 way from this accursed place," and her heart 
 sank with fear. 
 
 " Cheer up," Thalaba said ; " if we cannot 
 escape the dangers of this place, yet we can 
 conquer them. But tell me who has prepared 
 this garden of delights and for what ? " 
 
 "When I was brought here," answered 
 Oneiza, " the women told me that it was the 
 abode of the magician Aloaddin. He in- 
 
THE PARADISE OF SIN. 63 
 
 toxicates men with the delights of this place, 
 till they are ready to commit all manner of 
 crimes at his bidding. And what will you do 
 against all these ?" 
 
 Thalaba's face grew dark as he heard. 
 "Woe to him," he said, with a stern smile, 
 " woe to him ! he laid a net for an Antelope, 
 but a Lion has come in." 
 
 She shook her head. " Ah ! but he is a 
 sorcerer, and guarded by many ; and you, 
 Thalaba, are but one." 
 
 " Ay, but there is a God, Oneiza, and I have 
 a Talisman that protects from all the powers of 
 Earth and Hell whoever bears it. Remember, 
 too, that Destiny has marked me from man- 
 kind. But now lie down and rest, fearing no 
 evil. I will watch by you." 
 
 So Oneiza lay down on a bank of flowers ; 
 and after she had calmed her spirit with prayer, 
 sank peacefully to sleep. And Thalaba sat 
 and watched her, and as he watched his spirit 
 rose, and he waited in good hope for the day. 
 
64 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HOW ONEIZA WAS SAVED AND LOST. 
 
 THE song of the lark awoke Oneiza, and she 
 wished, as she watched the bird twinkling in the 
 morning light, that she had wings and liberty 
 like him. Her cheek flushed and grew pale 
 again, but Thalaba was calm and ready for his 
 work. But first he considered how he should 
 arm himself, remembering that his arrow had 
 fallen with a blunted point from Lobaba's 
 breast. It might well be, he thought, that 
 Aloaddin might be protected by a spell of equal 
 power. Thus thinking he caught sight of a 
 young poplar that stood by the brink of the 
 river, with its leaves shivering in the wind, and 
 turned to Oneiza and said, " I remember how 
 in the old days you would bring down the 
 clusters of dates from the palms, cutting the 
 
HOW ONEIZA WAS SAVED AND LOST. 65 
 
 stalks with the arrow, so true was your aim. 
 Take the bow again, dear maid ; I must have 
 different arms." 
 
 So speaking he grasped the poplar with both 
 hands, and wrenched it from the earth, roots 
 and all. From these he shook off the clotted 
 earth, and broke away the head, and boughs, 
 and lesser roots, till he had fashioned a mighty 
 club. " Now I am ready for this child of sin. 
 He shall exchange, maybe to-day, his paradise 
 for a far different dwelling." 
 
 So the youth and the maid went to the centre 
 of the garden. It so chanced that Aloaddin had 
 that day assembled all the inhabitants, and the 
 two mingled unnoticed with the throng, or if 
 any one noticed them it was to say, " See a 
 daughter of the Homerites who remembers yet 
 the tents of the tribes, for their women know 
 how to wield the bow and the spear." " Nay," 
 his neighbour would answer, " it is a love 
 pageant. He with that fierce eye and massy 
 club mimics some lion-tamer, and she plays the 
 heroine with her arrows and her bow." 
 
 Aloaddin sat on a throne of gold, his crown 
 and robe shining with jewels. Over his head 
 
 6 
 
66 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 hovered a huge bird, so huge that an eagle 
 would have been but like a sparrow in his clasp. 
 His breast was iron and his feathers burnished 
 gold, and he waved his wings, at once a canopy 
 and a fan. The crowd bent their knees to the 
 sorcerer, and shouted, " Hail, great Giver of 
 Joy, Lord of Paradise ! " Then he rose to 
 speak, and they stood silent. 
 
 " Children of Earth, the Infidel Sultan, whose 
 lands are bordered by my mountains, threatens 
 me. He has strong armies and many guards ; 
 yet a dagger may find him. I do not tempt 
 you with vain stories of a heaven from which 
 no one has returned. You have tasted of 
 happiness here. Who will earn it for ever for 
 himself by a deed of danger ? " 
 
 " I will," cried Thalaba, and leaping forward 
 dashed his mighty club on the Sorcerer's head. 
 The wretch fell, for his skull was shattered, but 
 some charm still kept his life imprisoned in his 
 body. The crowd stood astonished, waiting to 
 see the vengeance of Heaven fall on Thalaba. 
 And indeed the Monster Bird pounced down to 
 seize him. But before he could strike with his 
 beak, Oneiza let fly an arrow from the mighty 
 
HOW ONEIZA WAS SAVED AND LOST. 67 
 
 bow with so true an aim that it pierced the 
 creature to the heart. With that the Talisman 
 was broken ; and while the earth shook and 
 the heavens thundered, the Paradise of Sin 
 vanished away. Now too the mountains that 
 had by magic enclosed the place were rent, and 
 Thalaba and Oneiza, left alone in the midst of 
 desolation and death, went down the rocky glen 
 into the valley below. 
 
 In the valley the Sultan had pitched his 
 camp. As he sat in his tent in council with his 
 chiefs, Thalaba and the maid were brought 
 before him by a captain who thus told his tale. 
 
 " As we passed towards the mountains in 
 obedience to your command, suddenly the 
 earth shook, and the air became dark as mid- 
 night, and the lightnings flashed, and the 
 thunders rolled round us. It seemed as if the 
 very judgment-day had come. When we 
 ventured to proceed there met us this youth 
 and maid who told us that they were come 
 from Aloaddin's halls, that the judgment-stroke 
 had fallen upon him, and that he and his 
 Paradise of Sin were destroyed. We brought 
 them here that they might repeat the tale in 
 your presence." 
 
68 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " If thou hast lied," said the Sultan to the 
 youth, " thou shalt die. If thou speakest truth, 
 thou shalt stand next to myself." 
 
 " Be it done to me," answered Thalaba, " as 
 the truth shall prove." 
 
 While he was speaking, a great cry was 
 heard, and a messenger flew breathless and 
 panting into the tent. " O King, live for 
 ever ! " he said. " May all thy foes be as 
 Aloaddin, for God has smitten him." 
 
 The Sultan cried, " Put the robe of honour on 
 the Arabian, and put a chain of gold around his 
 neck, and my crown on his head, and set him 
 on my horse of state, and lead him through the 
 camp, and let the heralds go before him and 
 cry, ' Thus shall it be done to the man whom 
 the King honours.' ' 
 
 So they put the robe of honour on Thalaba, 
 and a chain of gold about his neck, and the 
 King's crown on his head, and led him through 
 the camp on the King's own horse, and the 
 heralds cried before him as the King had 
 commanded. 
 
 When Thalaba had come from the presence 
 of the King, he sought Oneiza and said, " The 
 
HOW ONEIZA WAS SAVED AND LOST. 69 
 
 King has done as he said. I am next to him- 
 self in this land. But why so sad ? When I 
 heard of these honours, my thought was at 
 once of you, that you also would be happy." 
 
 " But, Thalaba, am not I an orphan and 
 among strangers ? " 
 
 " But with me." 
 
 " But think, Thalaba my father ! " 
 
 " Nay, take comfort. Remember in what 
 danger we were this morning, and now we have 
 safety and honour and wealth. The Sultan 
 asked me about you but just now. I told him 
 that we had been plighted from childhood.. 
 Was I wrong, Oneiza ? He said that he 
 would heap our marriage with gifts. But 
 why these tears ? " 
 
 "Remember Destiny hath marked thee from- 
 mankind" 
 
 " Perhaps the mission ceased when Aloaddin 
 perished, or if not, why should I not abide in 
 peace till I am called ? " 
 
 " Take me to the desert." 
 
 " Moath is not there. Would you dwell in a 
 stranger's tent ? " 
 
 " Take me to Mecca. Let me be a servant. 
 
70 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 of the Temple. Bind my veil with your own 
 hand. It shall never be lifted again, and I will 
 pray for your success." 
 
 " Nay, Oneiza, think of better things. Re- 
 port will soon spread about the fame of these 
 events, and your father will hear, and join us. 
 Only consent to be my wife." 
 
 So Oneiza, overborne by his entreaties, and 
 following her own heart, consented. 
 
 With song and music and dance the bridal 
 procession went carrying Oneiza to her hus- 
 band's house. Behind the bride went fifty 
 women in robes woven with thread of gold ; 
 and behind them again came a hundred slaves 
 bearing vessels of gold and silver and splendid 
 apparel, the Sultan's marriage gifts. On either 
 hand the pages carried the torches glowing in 
 the darkness ; and the trumpets and timbrels 
 made music, and the multitudes shouted, till 
 they came to the palace of Thalaba, where the 
 marriage feast was spread. 
 
 But when the feast was finished and the 
 guests had departed, who is this that comes 
 from the bridal chamber? It is Azrael, the 
 Angel of Death 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF THALABA. 
 
 MEANWHILE Moath, searching for his daughter, 
 had come to the Sultan's city, and wandering 
 outside the walls found the burial ground. A 
 woman met him and said, " Old man, go not 
 among the tombs. There is a madman there." 
 
 " Will he harm me, think you ? " 
 
 " Not he, poor wretch. But 'tis a most 
 miserable thing to see his grief. All day and 
 all night long he lies upon a grave ; he never 
 weeps or groans ; never open^his lips even to 
 pray. I have taken him food for charity's 
 sake, but he never thanked me. I say, go 
 not among the tombs, old man." 
 
 " But say, why has God so smitten him ? " 
 
 " He came to this country a stranger, and 
 did some great service to the Sultan, who 
 therefore named him next to himself, and gave 
 
72 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 him a palace, and dowered his bride with 
 houses and lands. But on his wedding day the 
 Angel of Death came for his bride. He never 
 leaves her grave. When the Sultan heard the 
 tale, he said that doubtless Heaven had smitten 
 him for some secret wickedness, and prayed 
 forgiveness that he had shown him any favour, 
 and so left him to perish.'' 
 
 " Did you say that he was a stranger ? " 
 
 " Yes, an Arab like you. But I say, go not 
 among the tombs ; you will see such a sight as 
 you will never forget." 
 
 " Nay, I have never shunned a countryman 
 in distress, and the sound of his native tongue, 
 maybe, will calm him as the voice of a friend." 
 
 Then the woman pointed the way to the 
 sepulchre, and Moath, going as she bid him, 
 found Thalaba lying on the grave. His raven 
 black hair was rusted with sun and rain, and 
 his cheeks had fallen. As he lay, his fingers 
 played unwittingly with the grass upon the 
 grave. Moath did not know him, so much 
 changed was he, but drawing near said, " Peace 
 be with you." The sound of his native tongue 
 roused Thalaba, but when he looked up and 
 
THE DELIVERANCE OF THALABA. 73 
 
 saw the good old man, he rose and fell upon 
 his neck, and groaned. Then Moath knew him, 
 and a dreadful fear came over him that he 
 was childless. He said nothing, but pointed to 
 the tomb. " Yes," said Thalaba, as if he had 
 spoken " yes, your search is ended here." 
 
 The father's cheeks grew pale, and his lips 
 quivered with grief. Still he could say, " God 
 is good ! His will be done ! " 
 
 It softened Thalaba to see such grief and 
 such resignation. " Ah," said he, " you have a 
 comforter in your trouble. But in me, Moath, 
 you see a wretch whom God has abandoned ; " 
 and then, when the old man looked at him 
 incredulous " nightly," he went on, " Oneiza 
 comes to drive me to despair. You think me 
 mad. But dare you come and see her when 
 the crier proclaims midnight from the minaret- 
 top?" 
 
 And now the sun was about to set, and 
 Moath, as he saw the white flag waving on 
 the mosque, said, " Thalaba, do you not 
 pray?" 
 
 " I must not pray," said he, with such a 
 groan as went to the old man's heart and made 
 
74 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 him bow down and in a fervent agony pray to 
 God. 
 
 It was a wet and stormy night, and Thalaba 
 led the old man into the chamber of the Tomb 
 to shelter him from the rain. They heard the 
 storm beat on the monument above ; and there 
 on Oneiza's grave, the two sat, her father and 
 her husband. The crier proclaimed midnight 
 from the minaret-top. 
 
 " Now, now ! " cried Thalaba, and as he 
 spoke, there spread a lurid light over the tomb, 
 and Oneiza stood before them, a corpse, and 
 yet with a brightness in her eye more terrible 
 than death. 
 
 "What! art thou still living, wretch?" she 
 cried. " Must I leave my couch every night, 
 to tell thee that God has abandoned thee ? " 
 
 " This is not Oneiza," cried the old man ; " it 
 is a fiend, a manifest fiend," and he held his 
 lance to the youth. " Strike her ! strike her ! " 
 
 " What ? strike her? said Thalaba, and stood 
 paralysed, gazing on the dreadful form. 
 
 " Yes, strike her," cried another voice ; and 
 while Thalaba turned round to see whence it 
 came, Moath performed its bidding, and thrust 
 
THE DELIVERANCE OF THALABA. 75 
 
 his lance. The fiend fled howling with the 
 wound ; and in a moment, clad in a golden 
 light, the true Oneiza stood before them. 
 
 " Oh, Thalaba ! " she cried, " abandon not 
 thyself go on, finish thy work, that in Paradise 
 I may not wait for thee long." Then she 
 turned to Moath, " Thy way is short to 
 Paradise, dear father. Return to the Desert. 
 Azrael the Deliverer will soon come for you." 
 
 Then the Spirit vanished from their sight, 
 and the darkness closed round them again. 
 Thalaba took his bow and quiver from the 
 ground. 
 
 " Thank God," he said, " that in my madness 
 I did not forget these. To-morrow I will 
 brace it afresh in the sun. And I, like the 
 bow, will brace myself for the work that lies 
 before me. And now, dear father, we part, not 
 to meet again till we meet in Paradise." 
 
 Moath made no answer, but followed him to 
 the door of the Tomb chamber. The rain had 
 ceased, and the clouds were carried wildly by 
 the wind across the sky ; and it chanced that in 
 one of the rifts before them a star shot east- 
 ward, leaving a path of light behind it. 
 
76 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " See, my guide," said Thalaba ; and the old 
 man blessed him. So they parted, and Thalaba 
 went his way. 
 
 That evening a Dervish, sitting in the sun at 
 the door of his cell, invited the youth to stay 
 with him for the night, and spread before him 
 his simple meal, rice and fresh grapes and water 
 from the brook. As they sat and talked, a 
 wedding procession went by with singing and 
 music and dancing. The Dervish gave them 
 his blessing as they went by, but Thalaba hid 
 his face in his hands and groaned. Now the 
 old man had himself known sorrow, and he felt 
 pity for the youth, and Thalaba, comforted by 
 his words, told him all his trouble. 
 
 " My son," said he, " it is God that has 
 chastened you. See this vine. When I found 
 it, it was wasting its strength in luxuriant 
 growth and gave no fruit ; but I pruned it, and 
 see what beautiful clusters it has supplied. It 
 is thus Heaven deals with us ; but say, whither 
 are you going ? " 
 
 " I go straight on," said Thalaba, " sure that 
 destiny will lead my feet aright." 
 
 " Thy faith is right," answered the old man, 
 
THE DELIVERANCE OF THALABA. 77 
 
 " and I would not shake it for a moment. 
 Still if knowledge may be gained, it would be 
 well for you to seek it. And gained it may be. 
 In Kaf the Simorg, the Bird of Ages, has his 
 abode. There is nothing that he does not 
 know. He has seen the children of men thrice 
 destroyed. The .path is long and dangerous, 
 but the Bird could direct your way to a 
 certainty." 
 
 Thalaba gave ready heed to his word, and on 
 the morrow pursued his journey. 
 
78 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE MAGIC THREAD. 
 
 THALABA travelled on day after day. He 
 crossed rivers, and climbed mountains, and 
 plodded wearily across measureless plains, but 
 saw neither man, nor the trace of man. It was 
 a cold country which he now reached, and such 
 slender provision of food as he had carried was 
 exhausted. The sun was not to be seen in the 
 sky ; but there was one dull cloud over all, and 
 now the snow began to fall. How he wished 
 for his native deserts and the warm winds of 
 Arabia ! And now the night came on, and 
 there was neither moon nor star to be seen ; 
 only a dim light reflected from the snow. At 
 last he spied a fire burning in a cave of the hill, 
 and to that, with courage and strength renewed, 
 he moved on. 
 
 He found a woman in the cave, a solitary 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 79 
 
 woman, who sat spinning by the fire and 
 singing as she span. She had grey hair, but 
 her face was smooth like a girl's. She smiled 
 a welcome to him ; but still went on with her 
 spinning and singing. He laid his bow before 
 the fire, for its string was frozen stiff, and his 
 quiver also, for the feathers on the arrows were 
 covered with ice. Then he asked for food. 
 She answered him in song. 
 
 " The She-bear, she dwells near to me, 
 And she hath cubs, one, two, three ; 
 She hunts the deer, and brings him here, 
 And then with her I make good cheer. 
 And now to the chase the She-bear is gone, 
 And she with her prey will be here anon." 
 
 When she had said this she began her spinning 
 again. The thread gleamed like gold in the 
 blaze of the pine-log, but it was so marvellously 
 fine, that except when the light fell on it you 
 might look for it in vain. Thalaba looked on 
 with wonder, and she observing him, spoke 
 again, this time also in song. 
 
 " Now twine it round thy hands I say, 
 Now wind it round thy hands I pray, 
 But he must be 
 O stronger than thee, 
 Who can break this thread of mine ! " 
 
8o THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 Thalaba, thinking no harm, so sweetly did she 
 smile on him, took the thread, and wound it 
 round and round his right hand, and round and 
 round his left. Then the woman spoke again 
 
 " Now thy strength, O stranger, strain, 
 Strain and break the slender chain." 
 
 Thalaba strained his strength, but to no 
 purpose, till he was flushed with shame and 
 fear. Then the witch, for the woman was the 
 witch Maimuna, smiled at him again, but this 
 time fiercely, and she sang a fourth time 
 
 " I thank thee,' I thank thee, Hodeirah's son, 
 For binding thyself in the chain I have spun." 
 
 With this she wrenched a lock of hair from his 
 head, and sang again 
 
 " Sister ! Sister ! hear my voice, 
 The thread is spun, 
 The prize is won, 
 The work is done, 
 For I have made captive Hodeirah's son." 
 
 And in a moment Khawla, the fiercest of the 
 sorcerers, was there in her magic chariot. 
 And when she saw the youth she laughed aloud 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 81 
 
 in scorn, and clapped her hands for joy. That 
 moment the She-bear came in from the chase, 
 bearing the deer that it had caught in its mouth. 
 This she laid down at Maimuna's feet, and 
 looked up wistfully as if to ask for her share. 
 
 " There ! there ! " said Maimuna, and pointing 
 to Thalaba, spurned him with her foot. 
 " There ! make thy meal of him." 
 
 And the two sisters laughed aloud, but the 
 She-bear fawned upon the youth and licked 
 his hand. Thereupon Maimuna stamped on 
 the ground, and called a spirit up. 
 
 " Shall we bear the Enemy to the dungeon 
 of the Domdaniel Cavern ? " 
 
 " Woe to our Empire if he ever tread the 
 Domdaniel Cavern." 
 
 " Shall we leave him fettered here to die of 
 hunger now ?" 
 
 " Fly from your dwelling, I see danger at 
 hand, danger that he should live and thou 
 shouldst fall." 
 
 " Whither then shall we carry him ? " 
 
 " To Mohareb's Island." 
 
 So they threw Thalaba -chained into the 
 magic chariot. Drawn by no mortal steed, it 
 
82 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 passed over land and sea, till it came to the 
 island and to the chief city in which Mohareb 
 reigned. The Sultan himself came out to meet 
 them in his royal robes, and Thalaba knew him 
 at once as the one whom he had cast down into 
 the pit amidst the ruins of Babylon. 
 
 The two sisters and Mohareb held council. 
 
 " Go up, and read the stars," said Khawla. 
 
 Maimuna went up to the terrace of the top- 
 most tower, and stood there, her white hair 
 streaming like the Aurora in the polar sky. 
 When she descended, they asked, " What have 
 you read ? " 
 
 " Death danger judgment," said she. 
 
 " Is that what the stars say ? " cried Khawla ; 
 "they are the creatures of Him who made 
 them, and would terrify us with their lying 
 threats. I never liked this lore of the Heavens. 
 Better much the sacrifice of Divination, and I 
 will be my own oracle. Command the victims, 
 Mohareb. You know what are wanted, that 
 they must be male and female." 
 
 While the Sultan went to fetch them, Khawla 
 made the place ready for the dreadful rite. 
 She faced about to each point of the compass, 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 83 
 
 and at each she laid her hand on the wall, and 
 smote the air, and smote the floor, and said, " To 
 Eblis and his slaves I consecrate this place. 
 Let no one enter but he and they." 
 
 And now all was prepared. Mohareb re- 
 turned, and the circle was drawn, and the victims 
 were slain, and Khawla stood, holding a human 
 head by the hair in either hand. 
 
 " Go out, ye lights ! " she cried, and began the 
 spell. She spread out her arms, and whirled 
 round, calling, " Eblis, Eblis," without ceasing, 
 till she reeled with dizziness. Her hair stood 
 up, and gave out sparks of light, and her eyes 
 gleamed like the moon through a mist. Then 
 she spoke - 
 
 " Ye may hope, and ye may fear, 
 The danger of his stars is near. 
 Sultan ! if he perish, woe ! 
 Fate hath written one death blow 
 For Mohareb and the foe ! 
 Triumph ! Triumph ! only she 
 That knit his bonds can set him free ! " 
 
 Then she fell senseless on the ground. 
 Mohareb and Maimuna knelt beside her, and 
 wetted the palms of her hands with water, and 
 her nostrils with blood till she revived. 
 
84 THE STORY OF THALABA, 
 
 " What did I say ? " she asked. When she 
 heard the words, her face grew dark. All that 
 she said was, "Well, let him rot in prison." 
 
 But Mohareb read her purpose better. Her 
 lips lied, but her face told the truth. They were 
 pledged to him by oath ; but his death would 
 keep them safe ; and he knew they would not 
 spare him. Nor did the ring protect him, for 
 they could strike at his life through Thalaba. 
 It was needful, then, that he must take counsel 
 for himself. Accordingly he went to the 
 dungeon where the prisoner lay. It was early 
 dawn, and Thalaba was so busy with his 
 prayers, that the grating of the hinges did not 
 rouse him. Mohareb stood still, and enviously 
 watched the peace which piety can give. 
 
 When the youth had ended his prayer, and 
 looked to see who his visitor might be, the 
 Sultan said " Arab, unknowingly you more 
 than paid me for my guiding through that 
 dangerous cave. The Hand that caught the 
 Ring received me, and carried me whither I 
 wished. See, I am not ungrateful. Take 
 again the amulet." 
 
 It was but a show of gratitude. In truth he 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 85 
 
 gave the Ring that Thalaba's life might be 
 safe, and with Thalaba's, as Khawla's oracle 
 had warned him, his own. The youth took 
 the Ring, and put it on his finger with the same 
 words that he had used at first. "In the name 
 of God ! If its power be for good, well ; if for 
 evil, then God and my faith in Him shall 
 hallow it." 
 
 Mohareb said, " You are brave, and I would 
 willingly be your friend, aye, and buy your 
 friendship for a royal price. Now hear me 
 There are two Powers in the world, two hostile 
 Gods, equal in all things. Nay, hear me 
 patiently I say, equal. Look about you. The 
 same earth bears fruit and poison. The 
 Elements now are the servants of Man, and 
 now his masters. If there is joy in one house, 
 there is sorrow in the next. You say that sin 
 entered into the world, and that God permits it 
 to remain for a time. Nay, but if a serpent 
 creep into your tent you crush it. Be sure that 
 God had crushed His enemy if He could. No, 
 Thalaba ; good and evil are but words. In 
 Heaven as in earth it is the weak who are 
 guilty. Think not that the dead are sent to 
 
THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 abodes of bliss and evil. Not so, they join the 
 great armies that fight the great fight. Woe to 
 the vanquished ! You, Thalaba, have chosen 
 your part ill. The Power you serve is a hard 
 taskmaster, and where are His wages ? Who 
 has ever seen them ? But look at ours, the 
 power and riches and pleasures of the world. 
 Do you remember how we met at Babylon, 
 each zealous for His Lord, adventurers both of 
 us ? Now think what I am, and what you are 
 you a prisoner, I the Sultan of this land." 
 
 Thalaba answered, " And this is your faith ! 
 monstrous falsehood which even the sun and 
 moon and stars in their courses disprove. No ; 
 the true Master of the world is the Power of 
 Good, and He will triumph in the end. You 
 have me here in chains, but I am not deserted. 
 And against you are leagued the Just and Wise 
 of all time ; yes, and your own crimes, and 
 truth, and God in Heaven." 
 
 " Slave!" cried Mohareb, in his rage. " Slave, 
 I leave you here ; and in this prison you shall 
 rot limb from limb," and he rushed out of the 
 prison. 
 
 Meanwhile Khawla the witch was working 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 87 
 
 her spells against the life of Thalaba. She 
 made an image of wax, compounding it of the 
 wax of the machineal tree and the poison of the 
 mandrake. This image she moulded to the 
 shape of Thalaba, and muttered spells over it, 
 by which it became instinct with a portion of 
 the young man's life. Then she built up a 
 pile of poisonous woods, and set the image of 
 wax in the full blaze of the heat. She might 
 as well have tried the eternal ice which is piled 
 about the pole. " Waste away ! " she cried, 
 " and with thee waste Hodeirah's son ! " But 
 the flames harmed it no more than the moon- 
 beam thaws a field of snow. " Curse thee ! " 
 cried the witch, " hast thou still a spell of 
 safety ? " and she threw the image into the 
 fire itself, and in the fire itself it lay unharmed. 
 Then she stamped thrice on the floor of the 
 cave crying " Maimuna," and in a moment her 
 sister was there. 
 
 When Maimuna saw the fire and the image 
 she said, " Nay, sister, Mohareb's life is bound 
 up with Thalaba's, and to Mohareb we are 
 pledged by oath." 
 
 "Fool!" answered Khawla, "one must die 
 
88 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 or all. To keep faith with Mohareb were to 
 commit treason against all the rest of our 
 company. But tell me what it is that protects 
 the son of Hodeirah ? " 
 
 For still the wax lay unmelted. So hot was 
 the fire that the bat clinging to the roof of the 
 cave loosed its hold sickening to death with the 
 heat, and the toad, having crawled to the 
 darkest corner, panted with fever, while the 
 viper came out with her brood, and sported 
 with them in the rays. But the image lay cold 
 as marble. 
 
 At length Maimuna raised her thoughtful 
 eyes. " Where, sister, did you find the wax ? 
 Was it the work of the bee, or of the worm ? 
 If so, your labour is lost. It is only the wax 
 from a dead man's grave that can avail." 
 
 " Excellent witch," said Khawla. " Go and 
 fetch it, for you know the place and the way." 
 
 And Maimuna went to fetch it. By her 
 spells she opened a grave. What she there 
 saw were too horrible to tell. But the terror 
 of it so wrought upon her that she cast herself 
 upon the earth in the agony of despair. And she 
 had died the utter death but that it was that 
 
THE MAGIC THREAD. 89 
 
 mysterious night on which all created things 
 adore their Maker ; yes, all things, beasts and 
 birds and fishes of the sea, and even trees and 
 stones, all things but man only. And now, by 
 the mercy of God, all the gracious influences of 
 the time were poured out upon her, till she 
 wept ; and at the sight of her tears her good 
 angel came down again and took again his 
 charge. 
 
 Maimuna thought to herself, " I will undo as 
 far as I may the evil that I have done," and in 
 a moment she was in the prison cell of Thalaba. 
 One more spell, and only one will she work. 
 She sang as she had sung when she had bound 
 the silken threads about the prisoner's hands, 
 and when she had finished he was free. But 
 the prison walls are thick. She calls the Genii, 
 but they do not hear ; her power was gone ; 
 then she cried, " Rebel Spirits, in the name of 
 God, hear me ! " and in a moment the prison 
 walls were burst open, and the two, Maimuna 
 and Thalaba, were carried forth in the chariot 
 of the winds. 
 
90 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 LEILA. 
 
 IN another moment the two found themselves 
 again in the cave among the hills ; and Maimuna 
 felt the burden of her years fall upon her, for 
 she had prolonged her life far beyond the span 
 appointed to men by the magic of her spells. 
 So she died in faith and peace, and Thalaba 
 buried her in the snow, and taking his bow and 
 arrows from the hearth, where they had lain 
 since the witches had carried him away bound, 
 went on his way. The wind blew keenly from 
 the East, and drifted the snow in his face, and 
 froze the breath upon his lips, till he was 
 almost spent with cold and hunger. At last 
 he saw a light in the darkness, and though he 
 feared another snare from the magic arts of his 
 enemies, he had no choice but to make for it. 
 It was a little cottage in the middle of a 
 
LEILA. 91 
 
 garden ; and, strange to say, the air of the 
 garden was as mild as a summer wind, for a 
 fountain of fire sprang up in the centre of it, 
 sending rivulets of warmth streaming over it 
 every way. Thalaba saw a door open, and 
 went in. A girl lay asleep upon a couch, but 
 woke at the sound of his steps. She rose, and 
 took his hand, with gladness dancing in her 
 eyes. But when she felt it cold, the smile died 
 from her face, and she said, " I thought it would 
 be warm like mine, but you are like the rest." 
 
 Thalaba stood surprised and silent. At last 
 he answered " Cold ? Lady, what wonder ! 
 I have been travelling in this icy wilderness till 
 the life is nearly frozen in me." 
 
 " You are a man then ? " 
 
 " Surely ; I did not think that grief and 
 labour could have so changed me." 
 
 "And you can be warm sometimes, life- 
 warm as I am ? " 
 
 " Surely, Lady ; I am subject as other men 
 to heat and cold. You see a traveller who is 
 bound upon hard adventures, and asks shelter 
 for the night, meaning to pursue his journey 
 to-morrow." 
 
92 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 11 No ; not to-morrow. You must not go so 
 soon. And whither ? All the country round 
 is ice and snow and deserts of endless snow 
 over which no man can pass." 
 
 " He that has led me so far will support me 
 still through cold and hunger." 
 
 " Hunger ! " said the girl, and clapped her 
 hands. 
 
 In a moment the table was spread with 
 food, but whence and how it came no one 
 could see. 
 
 " Why do you look, Mortal ? " said the girl ; 
 " I made it come." 
 
 " But whence ? " 
 
 "What matter? My father sent it. But I 
 see you are no man ; if you were, your hunger 
 would not let you ask such questions." 
 
 " I will not eat. It is the work of magic. 
 Deceit and danger surround me. I was a fool 
 to think I could escape them." 
 
 " Begone, insolent creature ! Do you fancy 
 that I am plotting harm against you ? One 
 day you will be sorry for having so wronged 
 me." 
 
 " Hear, Lady ; I have many enemies, and my 
 
LEILA. 93 
 
 way is beset with dangers. Thus I have learnt 
 to be suspicious. But if I have wronged you, 
 pray pardon me. In the name of God, I will 
 eat of your food." 
 
 " Just now you were afraid of sorcery, and 
 yet you have said a charm." 
 
 " A charm ? " 
 
 "Yes, or what meant your words? I have 
 heard many spells and many names that rule 
 the Genii and the Elements, but that which 
 you said I have never heard." 
 
 " What ! never heard the name of God ? " 
 
 " Never ; but you are a strange man. Why 
 this wonder and trouble ? You must not 
 suspect me twice. If you are afraid, depart." 
 
 " Do you not know the God who made 
 you ? " 
 
 " Who made me ? My father made me, and 
 this house, and garden, and the fountain of fire ; 
 and he makes men and women out of the snow 
 every morning. They can move and talk, but 
 they are always cold as ice, and in the evening 
 they melt away into nothing and I am alone. 
 How glad I am when my dear father comes ! 
 Were it not for him, I would gladly melt away 
 like them." 
 
94 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 " And have you always lived here ? " 
 
 " Ever since I can remember." 
 
 " And you do not know your father's art ? " 
 
 ' No ; I asked him once to give me some 
 share of his power, but he shook his head and 
 said that it was too dearly bought." 
 
 " Why did he put you here in the wilder- 
 ness ? " 
 
 11 For fear and love. He said that the stars 
 threatened a danger to my life, and he put me 
 here amidst everlasting snow where no foot 
 could ever come. And if indeed the enemy 
 should come, I have a Guardian." 
 
 " A Guardian ? " 
 
 " Yes ; would you see him ? " 
 
 So the girl led Thalaba through the garden. 
 As they went, she said, " I do not think you 
 are the enemy. But if you have any evil 
 thought in your heart, depart in peace. I will 
 not lead you to your death." 
 
 " Let him kill me," cried the youth, "if I 
 have a single thought of harming you ! " 
 
 And now they came to the place where the 
 Guardian stood. It was an image of iron, 
 with every vein and limb and muscle true to 
 
LEILA. 95 
 
 life. The knee was bent forward ; the other 
 stood firm and upright. The right hand was 
 lifted ready to throw the thunder-bolt. When 
 Thalaba approached, the Image knew the 
 Destroyer, and hurled the thunder-bolt. But 
 again the Ring, which Mohareb had restored 
 to him, saved him. So blindly do the wicked 
 work the will of Heaven ! The lightning was 
 turned back harmless. He started and looked 
 round on the girl. He leant pale and breath- 
 less against a tree ; the next moment she 
 started with a scream of joy, " Save me, save 
 me, Okba ; the Enemy is here ! " 
 
 " Okba ! " said the youth, for he had never 
 forgotten the name of his father's murderer 
 since the Spirit had told it to him at midnight 
 in Moath's tent. " Okba ! " and he seized an 
 arrow in his hand, and rushed at him. 
 
 " Son of Hodeirah ! " said the old man, " my 
 hour is not yet come. But my Leila, my in- 
 nocent daughter, you may slay ; this vengeance 
 God allows." 
 
 Leila stood with her hands clasped round 
 her father's neck, her eyes wide open with 
 terror. 
 
96 THE STORY OF T HAL ABA. 
 
 " It is not upon her that the blood of 
 Hodeirah cries for vengeance." And again 
 he threatened the Sorcerer, and again he felt 
 his hand held by some mysterious power. 
 
 " You do riot aim the blow more eagerly," 
 said Okba, " than I would rush to meet it. 
 But that would be but a poor revenge. No, 
 I must suffer in my innocent child. Strike 
 her, why do you delay ? God permits, nay, 
 commands, the deed." 
 
 " Liar ! " cried Thalaba, and Leila looked up 
 wondering in her father's face. 
 
 "Nay!" said he, "'tis the truth. Long 
 ago I saw this danger. I saw it in the 
 stars at her birth, and when I called up a 
 Spirit, and asked him, he said, ' One must die, 
 Leila or Thalaba/ Yes ; and I mounted to 
 the seventh heaven, and read the death table 
 in which ' are written all the names of them 
 that are for death, and her name was among 
 them. . Be merciful, young man ; and do not 
 keep her any longer in her agony." 
 
 Then the rush of wings was heard, and 
 Azrael, the Angel of Death, stood before 
 them. 
 
LEILA. 97 
 
 " Son of Hodeirah," said he, " the Magician 
 speaks truth. I am come to receive the 
 maiden's life at your hands." 
 
 " Hear me, angel," said Thalaba. " I have 
 dared every danger, I have lost all that my 
 soul holds dear. I have cut off every tie of 
 life to avenge my father's death, and to root 
 out of the earth the accursed sorcerer here. 
 And I am willing to endure whatever still 
 remains. But this innocent girl I will not 
 slay. No, angel, I dare not do it ! " 
 
 " Remember," said the angel, " every word 
 of thine is written down, and thou must be 
 judged for all." 
 
 " Be it so. He that reads the secrets of 
 the hearts will judge me ; I will not harm 
 the innocent." 
 
 Then a voice came out of the darkness. 
 " Think again, son of Hodeirah ! One must 
 die, Leila or Thalaba. She dies for thee, or 
 thou for her. Think again, and weigh it well." 
 
 He did not hesitate a moment ; but reach- 
 ing out his hand cried, " Oneiza, receive thy 
 Thalaba unstained by crime." 
 
 " Thou hast disobeyed. The hour is mine," 
 8 
 
98 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 cried Okba, and shaking his daughter off, drew 
 the dagger from his side, and aimed a deadly 
 blow. 
 
 He aimed it, but Leila rushed between to 
 save the youth, and sank into Thalaba's arms, 
 and Azrael from his hands received her parting 
 soul. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT. 
 
 WHEN Okba saw that his daughter was dead, 
 he threw himself on her dead body in a passion 
 of grief, now crying out to the powers of Hell 
 to help him, and then to Heaven to strike him 
 dead, and then again cursing Thalaba. But 
 the youth stood by in silent pity. As he stood, 
 he felt his cheek suddenly fanned by a motion 
 of the air, and looking round saw that it came 
 from the wings of a green bird that was hover- 
 ing near him. And now the bird perched on 
 his hand, and turned a gentle eye to him, as if 
 to win his confidence. Then it sprang up and 
 flew forward, and then returned and perched 
 as before, manifestly inviting him to follow. 
 Thalaba obeyed the call, and under the moon- 
 light pursued his way across the river. And 
 
ioo THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 now the morning sun came out, and the bird 
 still flew before him ; all the day long it was 
 his guide, but when the evening came, leaving 
 a purple light on the range of hills to which his 
 steps were bent, it vanished out of his sight. 
 For a while Thalaba thought that it had left 
 him. But when he had made his evening 
 prayer, and lifted his head from the ground, he 
 saw a speck in the air ; nearer it came, and 
 nearer, till he saw that it was his guide. The 
 bird hung hovering before the traveller, and 
 in her foot she clasped a cluster of fruit that 
 she had brought from the woods of Paradise. 
 Thalaba took and ate, and felt all his powers 
 renewed. In his fresh strength he climbed 
 with untired feet the steep ascent of the hills, 
 and the bird still guided him, till in the very 
 heart of the mountains a valley opened before 
 his eyes. It was the Simorg's Valley, the 
 dwelling of the Bird of Ages. 
 
 On a green mossy bank beside a rivulet the 
 Bird of Ages stood. Thalaba approached, and 
 crossing his arms upon his breast, thus spoke : 
 " Earliest and wisest of all things that are, 
 guide me, I beseech thee, on my way. I am 
 
THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT. 101 
 
 bound for the Caverns under the rocks of the 
 ocean, where the Sorcerers have their dwell- 
 ings. How may I reach them ? " 
 
 The Simorg opened his eyes, and said, 
 " Go northward by the stream. In the foun- 
 tain of the Rock wash away thy stains. Then 
 fortify thy soul with prayer. Thus prepared, 
 climb on the sledge. Be bold ; be cautious. 
 Seek and find, for God has appointed all" 
 
 Then he was silent, and returned to his 
 repose. 
 
 Thalaba went northward along the rivulet's 
 side, tracing it to its source, and the green 
 bird went with him till they reached the 
 Fountain of the Rock. There the youth 
 washed away his stains, and fortified his soul 
 with prayer, and the bird stood meanwhile 
 near the youth, thinking of all the perils 
 through which he must pass. 
 
 When he had finished ablution and prayer, 
 he saw a sledge under a pine-tree, and the 
 dogs harnessed to it, and the dogs were watch- 
 ing him with their ears erect and their eyes 
 wide open. They were as lean as dogs could 
 be, and black but for one white line like the 
 
102 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 new moon upon their breasts. Thalaba took 
 his place in the sledge, and the bird perched 
 on his knees, and when the dogs, turning their 
 heads, saw that he was seated, they started. 
 Up the icy path they hastened, and when they 
 reached the top, they stood still and panted, 
 and looked back to the youth, as if pleading 
 for pity, and moaned and whined with fear. 
 
 And now they start again on the downward 
 path. It was narrow and steep, with a wall of 
 rock on one side, and a precipice on the other. 
 One sway of the sledge will send the traveller 
 headlong on to the rocks below. And still the 
 dogs barked and whined, and though Thalaba 
 sat with his arms folded, and had neither 
 scourge nor goad, the blood flowed fast from 
 their skin and tracked the way with red. And 
 now on a height above the path a giant fiend 
 stands ready to thrust down an avalanche. If 
 Thalaba looks back, he dies. But he is brave, 
 and the dogs are swift, and the thunder of the 
 falling avalanche echoes far behind. So they 
 reach the plain. 
 
 It was a desolate expanse with neither grass 
 nor bush nof tree. The dogs went quickly on 
 
THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT. 103 
 
 their way ; but when the sun went down, they 
 stopped and looked at Thalaba. He knelt on 
 the ground, and said his prayer, and they knelt 
 beside him, the tears running down their cheeks. 
 This done they lay close together, as close as 
 they could lie, and slept ; and Thalaba slept, 
 lying backward in the sledge, and the green bird 
 slept, nestling in his breast. 
 
 At dawn the dogs woke him, and knelt again 
 with him while, he prayed. And all that 
 day and many days afterwards they travelled 
 across the plain, halting at the hour of 
 prayer, and the bird was a companion to 
 Thalaba by day, and rested in his breast at 
 night. 
 
 And now the signs of life begin to appear. 
 First is seen the fir, then the laurel with down- 
 curving arms, then the quivering leaves of the 
 aspen, then the poplar, and the light and peace- 
 ful birch. Now, too, Thalaba can see the track 
 of the deer, and the ermine running over the 
 snow, and hear the whirr of the grouse's wings 
 among the pines ; now, too, the owl follows his 
 sledge, and soon he hears the song of the 
 thrush, till at last he comes to bushes and grass, 
 
104 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 and thickets bright with red berries, and to 
 flowers. 
 
 Now was the last morning of their journey, 
 and the green bird fixed on Thalaba an en- 
 treating eye. At that moment speech was 
 given her. 
 
 " Servant of God," she said, "if I have 
 guided you right, give me what I ask." 
 
 " Ask what you will, I shall still be your 
 debtor." 
 
 " Son of Hodeirah, when you shall see an 
 old man bent under the burden of his punish- 
 ment, forgive him, yea, and pray for him." 
 
 Thalaba's cheek flushed, and he looked to 
 the bird as if half repenting his promise, for he 
 thought of Okba, and remembered his father's 
 dying groan. 
 
 The bird saw his doubt, and spoke again. 
 " O Thalaba, if she who received the blow of 
 the dagger to save you deserves one kind re- 
 membrance, save the father whom she loves 
 from endless death." 
 
 " What, Leila, is it you ? What is it I dare 
 refuse to you ? This is no time to harbour 
 thoughts of revenge in my heart. Here I put 
 
THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT. 105 
 
 them off for ever. God pardon me as I pardon 
 him. But who am I that I should save a 
 sinful soul ? " 
 
 " Enough 1 When the hour is come, re- 
 member me ! " And she spread her wings and 
 soared to Paradise. 
 
 And now the dogs start forward on their 
 journey. It was still early morning when they 
 reached the well-head of a rock. The little 
 pool was clear and deep. It was stirred 
 strangely below, but its surface was calm ; and 
 on it there lay a little boat. It had neither oar 
 nor sail, only a rudder, and by the rudder stood 
 a Damsel, 
 
 The dogs looked wistfully at her, and their 
 tongues were loosed. " Have we done well, 
 dear Mistress ? " they asked. 
 
 The Damsel answered " Poor servants of 
 God, when all this witchery is destroyed, your 
 woes and mine will end. This new adventurer 
 gives us a new hope. God forbid that he like 
 you should perish for his fears ! But now sleep, 
 and wait the end in peace." 
 
 As she spoke a deep sleep fell upon them. 
 Then the Damsel said to Thalaba, " Will you 
 
io6 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 come with me ? The way is strange and 
 dangerous ; but the wretched ask your help. 
 Will you come ? " 
 
 " I will come in the name of God/' said 
 Thalaba, and stepped into the boat. 
 
 The stream ran on through pleasant fields, 
 with flowers blooming at the side, and willows 
 dipping their boughs into its waters, and the 
 dragon-flies, bright with green and gold, skim- 
 ming over its surface. And now it was swollen 
 by many a rivulet and rill, and grew into a 
 great river, with banks that widened as they 
 went. 
 
 " Will you come with me ? " asked the 
 Damsel again. 
 
 " Go on, in the name of God," answered 
 Thalaba. 
 
 And now they are come to the sea ; and the 
 Damsel asked him a third time, "Will you 
 come ? " and Thalaba answered as before. 
 
 And now they see the land, and the caverns 
 frowning on the rocks. The Damsel said 
 " See that cavern, our path is under its arch. 
 But now it is the ebb, and before the flood we 
 cannot pass over the rocks. Go and perform 
 
THE SLEDGE AND THE BOAT. 107 
 
 your last ablutions on the rocks and strengthen 
 your heart with prayer. I too have need of 
 prayer." 
 
 And she guided the boat with a firm hand 
 through the breakers, and Thalaba leapt out 
 upon the shore. 
 
io8 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE DOOM. 
 
 THALABA drew Abdaldar's Ring from his finger, 
 and threw it into the sea. " I will trust in 
 nothing but in Thee, O God," he cried. This 
 done he lay down on the beach to rest, for his 
 heart was not yet calm enough for prayer. And 
 now he felt that there was some spiritual 
 presence near him. 
 
 Then there came a voice, " Thalaba," and 
 the youth knew the voice of Moath ; and after 
 this a second and a dearer voice that said, 
 " Thalaba, go on, and finish your work. Let 
 me no longer suffer hope." 
 
 Thalaba looked eagerly to the sea, and as he 
 looked the Damsel drove the little boat to the 
 land, saying, "Come." 
 
 He leapt on board. 
 
THE DOOM. 109 
 
 " Have you had comfort in your prayer?" 
 she asked. 
 
 " Yes," said he, " a heavenly visitation.' 1 
 
 "God be praised," she answered, "then I 
 have not hoped in vain," and her voice trembled, 
 and the tears ran down her cheeks. She went 
 on : " Stranger, in years long past there was 
 one who vowed himself as you have done, the 
 Champion of the Lord against the Sorcerer 
 race. He was young and gentle and brave, 
 a lion-hearted man. He loved me, and I kept 
 him from his calling, till the hour was past, and 
 the angel who should have crowned him smote 
 him in anger. Years and years have passed, 
 and in his place of penance he waits for the 
 Deliverer. Surely you are he ! " 
 
 As she spoke, they came to the entrance of 
 the cave, and passed beneath the arch. The 
 sea-birds were screaming from their nests, and 
 yet not in fear, for they did not know the shape 
 of man. As they went on, the light grew dimmer 
 and more dim till they came to where the 
 waters lapped on the rock that bounded them. 
 There two doors of adamant closed up the 
 passage. On the rock beside sat a hoary-headed 
 man, watching an hour-glass. 
 
i io THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 "Is it the hour appointed?" asked the 
 Damsel. 
 
 The old man neither answered her nor lifted 
 his eyes, but the sands were now running low in 
 the glass. When the last were gone, he lifted 
 up his hand and struck the gates. The gates 
 opened at the stroke, and the Damsel said, " Go 
 on ; I wait you here." 
 
 Not for a moment did he tarry, not one look 
 did he cast behind him, but hastened on. There 
 was a yellow light in the cavern such as may be 
 seen upon the hills at sunset when the sun shines 
 through the mist upon the hills ; the path still 
 was downward till it ended in a precipice. 
 Black as night was the abyss, and over the 
 depth was a little car supported by four wings, 
 living wings, but without body or head and un 
 feathered, springing from one stem. And on 
 the brink, fastened with fiery fetters to the 
 rocks, lay a young man. It was he who had 
 lingered over the appointed hour, neglectful in 
 the arms of love. 
 
 Thalaba exclaimed, " Servant of God, can 1 
 help you ? " 
 
 " I have sinned," said he, " and I endure my 
 
THE DOOM. in 
 
 punishment with patience. The hour that sees 
 the destruction of the Sorcerer race will set me 
 free." 
 
 " Is it not come? Verily it has by this 
 token," and with fearless hand he grasped the 
 burning fetters, tore them from the rock, and 
 threw them blazing into the pit. Then for a 
 moment the vapours kindled by the fire flamed 
 up, then all was dark again. 
 
 " Deliverer ! " cried the youth, " and where is 
 she ? " 
 
 " Lo ! she waits for you at the gates." 
 
 " And you will join us in your triumph ? " 
 
 " Wait not for me ; my path has been 
 appointed." 
 
 " But your name ? that we may spread it 
 abroad in the world and bless thee." 
 
 " Bless the Merciful ; " so saying, Thalaba 
 murmured the name of God, and leapt into the 
 car. Down it sailed a measureless depth, till 
 at last it struck upon the rock. 
 
 Thalaba stood dazed and giddy for a time 
 with the shock ; then looking round he saw a 
 distant light, small as a speck, but most intense. 
 Beyond all was darkness. u It is no friend," 
 
ii2 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 thought he to himself, " that the darkness 
 hides." And indeed it was true. For a rebel 
 Afreet, largest of his kind, lay on the ground at 
 the gate of the Sorcerers' cave. He scented 
 the approach of human food, and the lust of 
 hunger burned fiercely in his eye. Thalaba 
 went on, shading his eyes with his hand, and 
 when he came within due distance laid an arrow 
 in the rest, and fixing his gaze resolutely on the 
 light, loosed the bow. It pierced the Afreet 
 where he lay ; and he sent up a cry so hideous 
 and so loud that no human voice could equal it. 
 Thalaba stepped across the monster as he lay 
 in the agonies of death, and smote on the doors 
 of stone, bidding them in the name of God give 
 way. The rocks shuddered at the sound, and 
 the doors were rent asunder, and in a moment 
 he saw the Teraph, and the Fire, and Khawla, 
 and Mohareb armed, ready for conflict. 
 Thalaba struck his raised arm with numbing 
 force, and rushed by, for he saw amongst the 
 flames Hodeirah's holy sword. Then Khawla 
 met the youth, and leapt upon him, and clasped 
 him with close clinging arms, while she bade 
 Mohareb smite the deadly blow. He spurned 
 
^VnJ 
 
 Fi 
 
THE DOOM. ii 
 
 her to the ground, and when she rose again and 
 clung about his knees, he seized her leathery 
 neck with a throttling grasp, and thrust her 
 aside, and sprang forward to the sword. The 
 flames knew the Destroyer, and curled around 
 him, and coiled up his robe, and made a crown 
 on his head. 
 
 The moment that Thalaba had laid his hand 
 upon his father's sword the Living Image in 
 the inner cave smote the round altar. Then 
 all the Domdaniel Cavern rocked to its 
 foundations, and the earth felt the shock. All 
 the Sorcerer race, wherever dispersed, felt and 
 obeyed the summons ; such was the compulsion 
 laid upon them by the Covenant of Hell. They 
 were sworn to meet the common danger and 
 to share the common doom. And now they 
 crowded round the Destroyer, vainly en- 
 deavouring to crush the single foe. First of all 
 was Mohareb, for the witch had foretold that 
 -one blow would be fatal to Thalaba and to him ; 
 and now, despairing of his own safety, he 
 .sought to uphold the cause of Eblis. 
 
 But none can withstand the Destroyer armed 
 as he is with the fated sword. Mohareb lifts 
 
 g 
 
ii4 THE STORY OF THALABA.* 
 
 his shield to parry the stroke, and it is shorn in 
 two. He lifts his scymetar, and the broken 
 hilt hangs from his hand, and now he bleeds, 
 he flies, he strives to hide himself in the crowd. 
 They too feel the sword ; they fly to the inner 
 cave, and fall fearfully about the Giant Idol's 
 feet. 
 
 It was a Living Image made by magic art 
 of flesh and bone and human blood. It had 
 the shape of Eblis, in strength and stature 
 such as he was of old when he stood among the' 
 Sons of God pre-eminent, Lucifer, Son of the 
 Morning. In one hand he grasped a sceptre, 
 with which he had power to shake the earth, 
 and raise the sea in storms, and lay cities in 
 ruins, with the other he sustained the weight 
 of the sea, for the cavern was roofed with the 
 waters. 
 
 Now the Sorcerers lay trembling round his 
 feet ; and Mohareb clung about his knees. The 
 Idol was pale and calm with excess of fear, for 
 he knew the Destroyer. Sure of his stroke 
 and without haste Thalaba advanced. Okba 
 met him on his way, the only fearless man of 
 all that miserable company. 
 
THE DOOM. 115 
 
 " Strike me," he cried, " I am he that stole at 
 midnight into thy father's tent. This is the 
 hand that pierced Hodeirah's heart. This is 
 the hand that was red with the blood of thy 
 brothers and sisters. Let the vengeance fall 
 on me," and he spread his bosom to the stroke. 
 
 " Old man," said Thalaba, " I strike thee not. 
 The harm that thou hast done to me and mine 
 has brought its own bitter punishment. I 
 pardon thee for thy daughter's sake. For her 
 sake repent while it is yet time." 
 
 Okba stood astonished, and his heart was 
 softened, and his tears gushed out. Then was 
 heard a voice. 
 
 " Thou hast done well, my Servant. Ask 
 and receive thy reward." 
 
 Thalaba said, " I have but wished to do my 
 duty. But look on this Sorcerer, many are his 
 crimes, but mercy is infinite. If I have found 
 favour, let his soul be saved from utter death." 
 
 The Voice replied, "The prayers of peni- 
 tence never arise unheard. Ask for thyself." 
 
 " I am alone on earth," said Thalaba, " do 
 with me as thou wilt." 
 
 Then came no answering voice. But the 
 
n6 THE STORY OF THALABA. 
 
 spirit of Hodeirah came to see the work of 
 vengeance accomplished, and by the side of 
 Hodeirah, a pure form clothed with rosy light, 
 was Zeinab. Then Thalaba knew that his 
 hour was come. He leapt forward and plunged 
 his sword hilt-deep into the Idol's heart. The 
 domed vault fell in, and all the tribe of the 
 Sorcerers perished together, but Oneiza received 
 her husband into the bowers of Paradise. 
 
THE STORY OF RUSTEM 
 
THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 
 
 A CERTAIN great Persian hero, San by name, 
 after being childless for many years, had a son 
 born to him. The child was as fair as the sun, 
 but, by a strange misfortune, his hair was 
 white. For seven days no one dared to tell 
 the father what had happened that his beau- 
 tiful wife had brought into the world an infant 
 like an old man. At last the child's nurse, who 
 was as bold as a lioness, went bravely to him, 
 and said, " Sire, I bring you good news. May 
 your days be happy ! May the heart of your 
 enemies be torn asunder ! God has granted 
 you the desire of your heart. You have a son, 
 who, small as he is, yet shows the heart of a 
 lion. A beautiful child he is, and you will see 
 
120 THE STORY OF AY 
 
 nothing amiss in him, except that by some ill- 
 luck his naif is white. Fate would have it so. 
 Be content, my lord, with what God has given 
 you/* 
 
 On this the hero came down from his throne, 
 and went to the apartments of the women. 
 There he saw a child, of a singular beauty, but 
 with the head of an old man, such as he had 
 never seen or even heard tell of before. The 
 sight struck him with despair. He lifted his 
 eyes to heaven, and said, " O God. all that 
 Thou ordainest is for good. If I have done 
 any evil if I have departed from the faith, 
 accept my repentance, and pardon my sin. 
 Truly my soul is overwhelmed with shame that 
 I have had a son born to me who seems to be 
 of the race of Satan, with his black eyes and 
 his hair white as a lily. What shall I say 
 when the nobles come to me ? What shall I 
 say about this child of a demon ? Verily I 
 shall be compelled to leave Persia for very 
 shame." 
 
 Thus cursing his lot he ordered them to 
 take the child and carry it to a mountain which 
 they call Alburz, or the White Mountain, a 
 
OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 
 
 lonely place which was never trodden by the 
 foot of man. But, though his father cast off 
 the innocent child, God did not forget him. A 
 great bird, the Simorg by name, had its nest on 
 the mountain, and, going out to look for food 
 for its young, saw the child lying on the 
 ground ; the thorns were his cradle, the hard 
 earth his nurse. A day and a night he had lain 
 there crying for hunger. God touched the 
 heart of the Simorg with pity, so that it did 
 not think of devouring the child, but, catching 
 him up in its claws, carried him to its nest 
 upon the mountain. The young of the great 
 bird were not less kind to him ; indeed they 
 showed him a marvellous pity, so astonished 
 were they at his beauty. As for the Simorg, it 
 chose out for its guest the tenderest part of its 
 prey ; and the poor child, for want of milk, 
 was nourished on blood. Thus he grew up, 
 sometimes remaining in the nest, and some- 
 times wandering in the forests on the mountain 
 side. He was straight and tall as a cypress- 
 tree, and the report of his beauty and strength 
 was carried far and wide. 
 
 After a while San had a dream. He thought 
 
122 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 that he saw a rider mounted on an Arab steed, 
 and that this rider came to him and gave him 
 news of his son. When he woke, he called his 
 nobles to him, and told them his dream. 
 
 " Do you think it possible," said he, " that 
 the child survives the cold of winter and the 
 heat of summer ? " 
 
 Old and young answered him with one voice 
 " You were ungrateful to God for His gift. 
 The sight of the child's white hair threw you 
 into despair, but what was that in a body so 
 fair ? And now prepare to look for him. Do 
 not fancy that he is dead. He whom God 
 regards with favour will not perish either of 
 cold or heat." 
 
 So San went to Mount Alburz with a great 
 company of followers to look for his son. 
 When he came to the mountain side he saw 
 a great rock which seemed to pierce the very 
 skies, so high was it. On this was a great 
 nest, built of trunks of ebony and sandal-wood, 
 interlaced with branches of aloes. Walking 
 round the edge of this nest was a young man 
 of tall stature, and San saw that the young 
 man was like himself; but he could find no way 
 
OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 123 
 
 up to the nest. Then, bowing his head to the 
 ground, he cried, " I implore forgiveness for 
 my sins. If this child be not the child of a 
 demon, but of my own race, be merciful to 
 me, and help me to climb to this nest." God 
 heard his prayer and granted it. 
 
 When the Simorg saw San and his followers 
 he said to Zal, " I have been as a mother to 
 you ; but now your father, the hero San, has 
 come for you, and I must give you up to him 
 safe and sound." 
 
 The young man was sorry to hear this, and 
 said (he had never seen the face of man, but 
 the Simorg had taught him to speak) : " Are 
 you tired of my company ? Your nest is as 
 good as a throne to me." 
 
 The Simorg said, " When you have seen a 
 real throne, it may be that my nest will no 
 longer seem all that you can desire. It is not 
 for want of love that I send you away ; indeed 
 I could have wished for nothing better than 
 that you should have remained here ; but your 
 lot in life is otherwise ordered. Take one of 
 my feathers with you, and if ever you find 
 yourself in a strait, throw it into the fire, and I 
 
124 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 will come to your help. And do not forget 
 me, for the love that I have for you breaks my 
 very heart." 
 
 Thus speaking he took him up, and carried 
 him to his father. When San saw his son, he 
 perceived that he was worthy of a throne. He 
 was as strong as a lion ; his eyelashes were 
 black, his eyes dark brown, his lips like coral,, 
 his cheeks red as blood. The one fault in him 
 was his hair. San blessed his son, and clothed 
 him as became his birth, and gave him a 
 war-horse to ride, and called his name Zal. 
 
 Then the father and the son journeyed 
 together to pay their court to the great King 
 Minuchehr, and told him the story. The 
 King consulted the wise men, who told him 
 that Zal would become a great hero, both 
 prudent and brave. These prophecies so 
 delighted him that he gave San the richest 
 presents that can be imagined Arab horses 
 with trappings of gold, Indian swords in gold 
 scabbards, rubies, pages clothed in brocades of 
 gold, embroidered with jewels, and, among 
 other splendid gifts, a throne adorned with 
 turquoises, and finally a charter that invested 
 
OF ZAL, THE PATHER OF RUSTEM. 125 
 
 him with the dominion of India and the 
 East. 
 
 After this San made an expedition against 
 the Kingdom of Mazenderan, the country of the 
 Demons, leaving his kingdom in the charge of 
 Zal, and Zal, having learnt all that he could 
 from the wise men of the land, resolved to visit 
 various parts of his dominions. Accordingly, 
 he came to Cabul, which was a province 
 tributary to his father, and was received with 
 great honour by Mihrab, prince of that coun- 
 try. Mihrab would gladly have entertained 
 him, but Zal said, /'It is impossible; what 
 would my people say if they heard that I drank 
 wine and was the guest of an idolater ? Ask 
 me anything else, and you shall have it." 
 
 Now Zal's companions had described to him 
 Rudabeh, the daughter of Mihrab, as being the 
 very greatest beauty in the world ; and it so 
 happened that Mihrab himself said in his 
 daughter's presence that there was no hero 
 under the sun that could be compared to Zal. 
 Thus the two cafne to love each other ; and 
 their love so increased, that it passed all limits 
 of reason. But there was this hindrance to 
 
126 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 their marriage, that the lady came of an evil 
 stock, the race of King Zohak, the cruellest 
 tyrant that ever had lived upon the earth. 
 
 Zal put the matter before his father, and his 
 father again asked the advice of his wise men. 
 The wise men consulted the stars, and gave 
 him this answer : " Great King, we have good 
 news for you. The marriage of Zal and the 
 daughter of Mihrab will be fortunate above 
 all others. They shall have a son who shall be 
 unmatched for strength and valour, who shall 
 root out the wicked from the earth. He 
 shall subdue the Tartars, and raise the. king- 
 dom of the Persians to the heavens." 
 
 When he heard this, he sent back the messen- 
 ger whom Zal had sent to him with this answer : 
 " This is a foolish passion of thine, my son ; 
 nevertheless, I will not hinder. Only we must 
 see what King Minuchehr will say." 
 
 King Minuchehr assembled his wise men, 
 and said to them, " My fathers broke down the 
 power of the tyrant Zohak ; and we must not 
 let the foolish passion of Zal raise it up again. 
 Mix these races together, and it will be like 
 mixing a poison with some precious drug ; and, 
 
OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 127 
 
 indeed, if the child of these two should be like 
 his mother rather than his father, there will 
 be great troubles for Persia. Tell me what I 
 should do." 
 
 But the wise men had no answer to give. 
 Then the King sent for Prince San, who was 
 now returning victorious from his expedition. 
 The Prince came and related to him his ad- 
 ventures ; but when he would have gone on 
 to speak of his son and the Princess Rudabeh, 
 the King interrupted him. 
 
 " Go," he cried, " and burn with fire the city 
 of Mihrab. And as for Mihrab, and his family, 
 let not one of them live. His nobles, his ser- 
 vants kill them all." 
 
 He spoke with such fury that San dared 
 not answer a single word. He bowed his 
 head to the ground and departed, setting out 
 that very day with his army for the land of 
 Cabul. 
 
 Zal heard that he was coming, and went to 
 meet him. When he came into his father's 
 presence, he kissed the ground at his feet, and 
 said, " Sire, your justice and goodness make all 
 men happy except your son. When I was a 
 
128 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 new-born child, you left me to die upon the 
 mountains ; and now what are you intending 
 to do ? I went to dwell in Cabul by your 
 orders ; it was for your pleasure that I performed 
 the journey hither. And now you have brought 
 an army to lay waste the country which I 
 inhabit, and to slay the Prince who has wel- 
 comed me. This is the justice that you do 
 to your son. See, I am in your hands ; do 
 with me as you will ; cut me in pieces if it is 
 your pleasure. But know that all the harm 
 you do to Cabul, you do to me." 
 
 San answered : " You are right ; you say 
 nothing but what is just and right. But wait 
 and see whether I cannot help you. I will 
 write a letter to the King, and you shall carry 
 it to him yourself." 
 
 San wrote a letter in which he pleaded the 
 cause of his son. " I behaved very ill to him 
 once," he said, " and I promised that I would 
 never again refuse him a request ; and now 
 he has set his heart on marriage. For myself 
 I have asked neither provinces nor honours ; 
 and for him, great King, I ask only that you 
 should deal with him after your wisdom." 
 
OF ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 129 
 
 Zal carried the letter to the King, who re- 
 ceived him with all honour and kindness. 
 " You have brought up again," he said, " an 
 old sorrow ; your father's letter troubles me ; 
 but he and you shall have your desire. Wait 
 a while till I can consult my wise men." 
 
 The wise men spent three whole days and 
 nights in searching into the secrets of the 
 heavens. Then they came to the King and 
 said, " We have inquired into the movements 
 of the stars, and they tell us this the child 
 that shall be born to the son of San and the 
 daughter of Mihrab shall be a great hero. He 
 shall have long life, courage, strength, and 
 glory. No man shall be his match in the 
 battle or at the banquet. He shall catch lions 
 in his hunting nets, and roast a wild ass whole 
 for his meal." 
 
 The King said, " Keep secret what you have 
 told me. I will put the young man's wit to the 
 proof. Ask him questions that shall try him." 
 
 The first sage said to him : " I saw twelve 
 trees, fair and tall. Each puts forth thirty 
 branches ; and they neither increase nor 
 diminish." 
 
 10 
 
130 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 The second said : " I saw two noble horses, 
 one black as a sea of pitch, the other bright as 
 crystal. They are always running at full speed, 
 and cannot gain one on the other." 
 
 The third said: "I saw thirty knights passing 
 before the King ; I counted them and I found 
 one wanting ; I counted them again, and there 
 were thirty." 
 
 The fourth said : " I saw a garden filled with 
 green things, and abounding with water. A 
 strong man came into it, carrying a sharp 
 scythe. He cut down the green and the dry 
 alike. If you cried to him for pity he would 
 not listen." 
 
 Zal reflected a while on these questions, and 
 then answered : " The twelve fair trees that 
 have each thirty branches and neither increase 
 nor diminish are the twelve months, each of 
 which has thirty days, neither more nor less. 
 The two noble horses, of which one is black, 
 the other white, that are always pursuing each 
 other, are night and day. They fly like a wild 
 beast before a dog, and neither gains upon the 
 other. As for the thirty knights, whose number 
 seems to want one, but is complete if you count 
 
OP ZAL, THE FATHER OF RUSTEM. 131 
 
 it again, it is in this : in every month there is 
 one moon that is hidden from our eyes, but 
 when you look again it is there. And the man 
 with the scythe, who cuts down the green and 
 the dry alike, who listens to no complainings, 
 he is time, and we are the grass which he cuts." 
 
 The King and all his nobles greatly ap- 
 plauded the wisdom of Zal. Then the King 
 would try his strength. He bade some of his 
 greatest warriors arm themselves, and Zal, on 
 the other hand, armed himself. Zal looked 
 among his adversaries for him who was the 
 most famous and skilful of them all; he burst 
 out of the cloud of dust in which he was 
 hidden like a leopard, seized his opponent by 
 the girdle, and lifted him out of his saddle so 
 lightly that the King and all his people were 
 astonished. They cried with one voice, " There 
 was never the equal of Zal!" and the King said, 
 " Happy the father of such a son ! Unhappy 
 the mother of him who shall meet him in 
 battle ! " 
 
 So Zal, having proved his wisdom and his 
 courage to the satisfaction of the King, had his 
 will, and married the daughter of Mihrab. In 
 
132 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 due time his wife bare him a son ; but before 
 the birth she was so near to death that Zal was 
 in despair. In the midst of his grief he be- 
 thought him of the feather which the Simorg 
 had given him. This he took, and put it on 
 the coals of a brazier ; before it was consumed 
 the Simorg appeared. 
 
 " Do not vex yourself," said the wise Bird ; 
 " so mighty a child cannot come into the world 
 without great trouble. Give the mother this 
 nut which I have brought with me, having first 
 pounded it in milk and musk. And give her 
 also strong drink that she may forget her 
 pains." 
 
 Zal did as the Simorg told him ; after this 
 all went well with the mother. When she 
 awoke they brought her the child. He was 
 but a day old, and yet he seemed to have been 
 born a whole year ; and he was as fair as a 
 nosegay of lilies and tulips. When his mother 
 saw him, she smiled upon him, and said, " He 
 shall be called Rustem." Now Rustem means 
 deliverance. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE FIRST EXPLOITS OF RUSTEM. 
 
 THERE was never in the world such a child as 
 Rustem, the son of Zal. He was fed with the 
 milk of ten nurses, and when he was weaned, 
 his food was bread and meat, and he ate as 
 much as five men. As for his strength and 
 stature, they were such as never had been seen 
 before or will be seen again. 
 
 One day he was sleeping in his chamber 
 when he heard outside his door a great cry that 
 the King's white elephant had broken its chain 
 and was at liberty, and that the inhabitants of 
 the palace were in great danger. In a moment 
 he rushed to seize his grandfather's club, and 
 prepared to go out. The attendants tried to 
 stop him. " We dare not incur your father's 
 rage," they said, " by opening the door. The 
 
134 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 night is dark ; the elephant has broken his 
 chain ; and yet you are going out. What foliy 
 is this ! " Rustem was greatly enraged to be 
 so hindered, and struck the man who spoke so 
 terrible a blow between the head and the nape 
 of the neck, that his head fell off like a ball 
 with which children play. When he turned to 
 the others they soon made way for him. Then 
 he struck the door with his club, and burst the 
 bolts and bars with a single blow. This done, 
 he laid the club upon his shoulder, and hastened 
 after the elephant. As for his warriors, they 
 were all as frightened of the beast as a lamb is 
 frightened of a wolf. When the furious beast 
 saw him, it rushed at him, lifting its trunk to 
 strike him. Rustem gave it one blow, for only 
 one was wanted ; its legs failed under it and it 
 fell ; you had said, so vast was it, that a moun- 
 tain had fallen. Rustem returned to his 
 chamber and finished his sleep. 
 
 The next day Zal, hearing what his son had 
 done, sent for him, and covered him with 
 praises. " My son," he said, "you are yet but 
 a child, and yet there is no one to match you in 
 courage and stature. I have an enterprise for 
 
THE FIRST EXPLOITS OF RUSTEM. 135 
 
 you to conduct. Many years ago my grand- 
 father was sent by the King to take an en- 
 chanted fortress which is situated upon Mount 
 Sipend, and was killed by a rock that was 
 thrown upon his head by one of the besieged, 
 after he had attacked it in vain for a whole 
 year. After this my father San assembled an 
 army, and marched against the place. But he 
 could never find the way which led to the place. 
 It is indeed so well provided that no one need 
 ever leave it to get anything from without. 
 San indeed wandered for years over the deserts, 
 looking for the fortress, but was obliged at last 
 to return without having avenged his father's 
 death. Now, my son, it is your turn. Go in 
 disguise ; the keepers of the fort will not know 
 you ; and when you have made your way into 
 the fortress, destroy the wretches root and 
 branch." 
 
 " I will do it," said Rustem. 
 
 Zal went on : " Disguise yourself as a camel- 
 driver. Pretend that you are coming in from 
 the desert, and that you have a cargo of salt 
 with you. There is nothing in that country 
 that they value more than salt. Let them once 
 
136 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 hear that this is what you are bringing, and 
 great and small will welcome you." 
 
 Rustem gladly undertook this business. He 
 hid the great club with which he had slain the 
 white elephant in a load of salt, and he chose a 
 number of companions who were as prudent as 
 they were brave. Their arms also were hidden in 
 loads of salt, and so they approached the fortress. 
 
 The keeper of the gate saw them from a 
 distance, and ran to the Prince, saying, " A 
 caravan with a number of camel-drivers has 
 arrived. If you ask me for what purpose they 
 have come, I should say that, in my opinion, 
 they have salt to sell." 
 
 Accordingly the Prince sent a messenger to 
 the master of the caravan, to ask him what his 
 packages contained. 
 
 Rustem said, " Go back, and tell your 
 master that I have salt in my packages." 
 
 The Prince, on receiving this message, in 
 great joy ordered the gate to be thrown open, 
 and Rustem with his camels and their drivers, 
 and the packages which they had with them, 
 all entered the fortress. Rustem was cour- 
 teously greeted by the Prince, and greeted him 
 
THE FIRST EXPLOITS OF RUSTEM. 137 
 
 courteously in return. Then he made his way 
 to the Bazaar, taking his camel-drivers with 
 him. The people crowded round him, some 
 with clothing, others with gold and silver ; all 
 were eager for his merchandise ; and there 
 was not a thought of fear or suspicion in the 
 heart of any one of them. When the night 
 came on Rustem executed his plan of attack. 
 First, he fell upon the Prince and levelled him 
 to the ground with a single blow of his club. 
 There was not a chief in the whole fortress that 
 could stand before him. Some he struck down 
 with his club, and some with his sword. When 
 the morning came there was not a single man 
 of all the defenders of the fortress that was not 
 either dead or disabled. 
 
 In the middle of the fortress there was a 
 building of stone with a gate of iron. Rustem 
 gave a blow of his club to the gate, and it flew 
 open before him. Within there was a great 
 vaulted hall, full of gold pieces and pearls. 
 There never was such a sight in the world. 
 
 Rustem sent a message to his father, to tell 
 him of his victory, and to ask him what he 
 should do. 
 
138 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Zal wrote back to this effect: " I send you 
 herewith two thousand camels to carry away 
 your booty. Load them with all that is 
 precious, and then burn the place with fire." 
 
 This Rustem did. He loaded the camels 
 with precious stones, and gold, and costly 
 swords, chains and girdles, pearls and jewels 
 worthy of a king, and Chinese brocades richly 
 embroidered with figures. This done, he set 
 fire to the fortress, and so departed. 
 
 All this Rustem did while he was yet a 
 child. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 RUSTEM AND HIS HORSE RAKSH. 
 
 WHILE Rustem was growing to manhood, Persia 
 suffered great troubles. First the good King 
 Minuchehr died, and his successor, his son 
 Newder, exercised his power very ill. When 
 the news of this change came to the King of 
 the Tartars, he conceived the idea of conquering 
 the country for himself and avenging the 
 Tartars, for all that they had ever suffered at 
 the hands of the Persians. Accordingly he 
 sent for his son Afrasiab, who was next to him- 
 self in the kingdom, and asked his advice. 
 Afrasiab gave his voice for war, and though his 
 younger brother counselled peace, he prevailed. 
 So when the plains were covered with the green 
 freshness of spring, the army of the Tartars set 
 forth. 
 
140 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 It was an unlucky hour for Persia, for the 
 great hero San was just dead, and Zal, the 
 white-haired, his son, was busy with his burial, 
 and Rustem was sick. Nevertheless, King 
 Newder raised as great an army as he could, 
 and came to meet the invaders. On the first 
 day of the battle, a Tartar champion, Barman 
 by name, rode forth and challenged all the 
 Persians to single combat. There was no one 
 to answer except Kobad, who was the oldest 
 warrior in the army. The old Kobad was 
 killed, and afterwards the two armies fought 
 together till the darkness separated them. 
 
 That night the two armies rested on the field 
 of battle, and the next morning they renewed 
 the conflict. A terrible struggle it was, and 
 nothing in it was more dreadful than when King 
 Newder himself charged out of his army to meet 
 Afrasiab. They threw javelins at each other ; 
 they met with their lances ; they even closed 
 with each other like two serpents. At last, as. 
 night was coming on, Afrasiab began to prevail, 
 and the king could scarcely escape. That day 
 the Persians suffered far more loss than did 
 their enemies ; and when the darkness put an 
 
RUSTEM AND HIS HORSE RAKSH. 141 
 
 end for a while to the battle, they were greatly 
 discouraged. 
 
 The king sent for two of his sons, and 
 said to them " My sons, the evil which my 
 father prophesied has come upon us. He said : 
 ' An army of Tartars will invade Persia, and 
 you will be defeated.' Go to Mount Alburz, 
 and there gather such as are still faithful to our 
 house ; but go in secret, lest the army be dis- 
 couraged. I know not whether I shall see you 
 again ; I shall try my fortune once more. Be 
 brave, be prudent ; and if ye hear bad news of 
 me, know that it has been the will of heaven to 
 afflict me." So saying, he embraced his sons 
 and sent them away. 
 
 For two days the armies rested. Early in 
 the morning of the third the battle began again. 
 From morning till evening it raged so fiercely 
 that the ground could not be seen for the dead. 
 In the end the Persians suffered a great defeat ; 
 and indeed, before many days were past, King 
 Newder himself fell into the hands of Afrasiab, 
 who slew him in a fit of rage on hearing that 
 some of his bravest warriors had been killed by 
 the Persians. 
 
142 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Some time after these things had happened, 
 certain Persian nobles came to Zal and said - 
 " The people are without a king ; the Tartars 
 oppress us, and you do not help us out of our 
 troubles." 
 
 Zal said : " All my days I have feared 
 nothing but old age ; now it has come upon 
 me, my back is bowed ; I cannot wield the 
 sword. But, thanks to God, the stump has 
 put forth a noble shoot. My son Rustem will 
 do all that you desire. But first I must find 
 him a war-horse ; the Arab horses are not 
 strong enough for him." 
 
 Zal then called Rustem to him, and said : 
 " My son, you are not yet come to the age of a 
 soldier " for he was yet but a boy " can you 
 meet the Tartar nobles on the field of battle ? 
 What say you ? " 
 
 " My father," said Rustem, " have you for- 
 gotten how I took the fortress of Mount Sipend, 
 and killed the white elephant ? It would be a 
 great disgrace if I were to be afraid of Afrasiab 
 and his Tartars." 
 
 Still Zal was in doubt. " I remember, my 
 son, what you have done ; and yet I cannot 
 
RUSTEM AND HIS HORSE RAKSH. 143 
 
 help trembling 1 . At your -years you should be 
 delighting yourself with music and song ; you 
 are not yet ready for battle." 
 
 Rustem answered " I am not one to find 
 any pleasure in peace. Give me the field of 
 battle, and ,you shall see what I can do. But I 
 must have a horse as strong as a mountain, 
 which none but I shall be able to bridle ; and I 
 must have a club such as none but I shall be 
 able to wield." 
 
 Zal was delighted with this answer, and sent 
 immediately to Zabulistan and Cabul for all the 
 finest horses that could be found in them. 
 They were all made to pass before Rustem, to 
 whom the attendants explained the royal marks 
 which were upon them. But every horse that 
 Rustem took hold of, and put his hand upon its 
 back, bent under the weight of his arm, till its 
 belly touched the ground. At last came a 
 herd of horses from Cabul, and in it was a grey 
 mare. She was as strong as a lioness ; but her 
 height was but small. She was followed by a 
 foal larger than herself. Its eyes were black and 
 bright one could have seen them a mile away 
 at night its tail was arched, its hoofs were like 
 
144 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 steel. Its colour was saffron, with red spots- 
 It was as strong as an elephant, as tall as a 
 camel, and as vigorous as a lion. As soon as 
 Rustem saw the colt, he made a knot in his 
 lasso, and prepared to separate it from the rest 
 of the herd. The keeper said to him 
 
 " Noble sir, do not take that animal ; that 
 belongs to another." 
 
 Rustem said, " To whom, then, does this 
 horse belong ? I see no mark on his quarter." 
 
 " There is no need to look for a mark," said 
 the old herdsman ; " the horse is famous enough. 
 He is as light as water, and as swift as fire. 
 We call him ' Raksh ' ' Rustem's Raksh,' but we 
 do not know who is his master. It is three 
 years since he has been able to bear a saddle, 
 and many nobles have desired to have him. 
 But as soon as his mother sees a man's lasso, 
 she runs up like a lioness to fight him. We do 
 not know what secret is hidden under all this ; 
 but take care, young man, to have nothing to 
 do with this savage beast ; she will tear the 
 heart out of a lion, and the skin off a leopard's 
 back." 
 
 No sooner had Rustem heard this, than he 
 
RUSTEM AND HIS HORSE RAKSH. 145 , 
 
 threw his lasso, and caught the spotted colt. 
 The mare ran at him like a wild elephant, and 
 would have seized his head in her teeth ; but 
 Rustem roared at her with so terrible a voice, 
 that she stood still in astonishment. And as 
 she stood, he dealt her a great blow on the 
 head with his fist, so that she rolled in the dust. 
 When she got up again, she sprang away and 
 hid herself in the herd. Rustem tightened the 
 knot of the lasso, and then pressed one of his 
 hands with all his might on the colt's back. 
 Raksh did not bend under it ; one would have 
 said, indeed, that he did not feel it. Rustem 
 said to himself 
 
 " That is my place; there I shall do great 
 things." 
 
 He jumped on the colt's back, and said to 
 the herdsman 
 
 " Tell me what is the price of this horse." 
 
 " If you are Rustem," answered the herds- 
 man, " mount him, and redress the wrongs of 
 your country. His price is the land of Persia." 
 
 It was thus that Rustem got his great horse 
 Raksh ; never was there one that was swifter, 
 or more sagacious, or more tractable, 
 
 ii 
 
 i 
 
H6 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB. 
 
 ZAL marched with his army against the Tartars, 
 Rustem leading the way. When he was within 
 a few miles of the enemy, he assembled the 
 veteran chiefs, and said 
 
 " We have a great army ; we have brave 
 soldiers and wise counsellors ; but we want 
 union because we have no king. There is such 
 a one as we want, the wise men tell me, at 
 Mount Alburz ; he is tall and strong, a lover of 
 justice and truth, and he is of the royal race." 
 
 All the chiefs approved. Then Zal said to 
 Rustem 
 
 " Go at once to Mount Alburz ; do homage 
 to Prince Keikobad, but do not stay with him ; 
 you must be back in fourteen days and tell 
 him that the army is asking for its king." 
 
RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB. 147 
 
 Rustem, in great joy, leapt upon the back of 
 Raksh, and rode off at full speed. A number 
 of Tartars had posted themselves upon the 
 road, and attacked him. Club in hand, he fell 
 upon, them, and struck many to the ground, and 
 drove the rest before him, so that they returned 
 to Afrasiab full of terror. 
 
 Rustem meanwhile went on his way. When 
 he was now about a mile from Mount Alburz, 
 he saw a splendid palace standing in a beautiful 
 garden. Near a fountain was placed a throne, 
 on which sat a young man of singular beauty, 
 with a circle of nobles round him. They invited 
 Rustem to alight from his horse, and drink a 
 cup of wine with them. 
 
 Rustem thanked them courteously, but said 
 
 " I am bound for Mount Alburz on an errand 
 of great importance, nor must I delay for an 
 hour. All the borders of Persia are overrun 
 with enemies ; in every house there is mourning, 
 for the throne is without a king." 
 
 " If you are on your way to Mount Alburz," 
 they said to him, " tell us who it is whom you 
 want, and we will take you to him." 
 
 " There is there a king of the pure royal 
 
i 4 8 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 race," answered Rustem ; " his name is Keiko- 
 bad. Tell me, if any one of you know, where 
 I can find him." 
 
 " I know him," cried one of the young men ; 
 " come in, and I will tell you his character." 
 
 When Rustem learnt that he was to hear 
 tidings about Keikobad, he leapt from his horse, 
 and went to where the nobles were sitting 
 under the shade of the trees by the fountain. 
 
 The young man who had spoken to him 
 seated himself on a chair, and holding Rustem's 
 hand in one of his hands, filled with the other 
 a cup of wine. He drank it to his guests, and 
 gave another cup to Rustem. 
 
 " You ask me," he said, " about Keikobad. 
 How do you know his name ? " 
 
 " Prince," said he, " I bring good tidings. 
 The nobles of Persia have chosen Keikobad to 
 be their king ; and my father, Zal, who is the 
 chief among them, said to me ' Ride to Mount 
 Alburz, find Keikobad, and pay him homage on 
 our behalf.' Tell me, then, where I can find 
 him." 
 
 The young man smiled and said, " I am 
 Keikobad." 
 
RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB. 149 
 
 Rustem bowed his head, and coming down 
 from his seat did homage to the King. The 
 King called for a cup of wine, and touched it 
 with his lips in Rustem's honour and Rustem 
 drained a cup in honour of the King. 
 
 The King said " See, my dream has come 
 true ; last night I dreamed that two falcons came 
 to me by way of Persia, carrying a sjhining 
 crown, and put it on my head. This is the 
 reason why I assembled these nobles to meet 
 you to-day." 
 
 The very same hour the two set out for 
 Persia with a troop of horsemen. But when 
 they came near the advanced posts of the 
 Tartars, Kaloun, the great Tartar chief, came 
 out to attack them. 
 
 When the King saw him and his followers, 
 he was for giving him battle. But Rustem 
 said 
 
 " My lord, it does not become your greatness 
 to fight in such a battle. My horse and my 
 club, with God to help me, will be enough to 
 deal with these enemies." 
 
 So saying he gave the rein to Raksh, and 
 charged the Tartars. He caught one trooper 
 
ISO THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 from his horse, and striking another with the 
 man as if he were a club dashed out his brains. 
 He tore the riders out of their saddles, one 
 after another, and dashed them upon the 
 ground with such force as to break their skulls 
 and necks and backs. Kaloun thought that 
 it was a demon who had broken his chains, 
 and was riding about with a club in his hand 
 and a lasso fastened to his saddle. He charged 
 him, struck him with his spear, and cut the 
 fastenings of his cuirass. But Rustem, reach- 
 ing out his hand, caught hold of Kaloun's 
 spear, tore it from him, and struck him out 
 of his saddle with it. Then as he lay upon 
 the ground, he made Raksh trample on him 
 till his brains were trodden out of his skull. 
 When the Tartars saw their chief treated in 
 this fashion, they turned their backs and fled. 
 
 Rustem and the King rode on till they came 
 to Zal. Seven days they feasted and took 
 counsel with the nobles, and on the eighth 
 day Keikobad was crowned King of Persia. 
 
 A few days afterwards the Persian army 
 marched against the Tartars, and joined battle 
 with them. When the conflict had lasted for 
 
RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB. 151 
 
 some time, Rustem said to his father, "Tell 
 me, my father, where is that villainous Prince, 
 Afrasiab ? What dress does he wear ? Where 
 does he set up his standard ? Yonder I see 
 a bright violet flag ; is it his ? " 
 
 " My son," said Zal, " listen to me. This 
 Tartar Afrasiab is as strong and as fierce as 
 a dragon. Beware of him. His flag is black; 
 his coat of mail is black, and he has an iron 
 badge on his arm. His armour is of iron 
 embossed with gold ; and he has a black plume 
 on his helmet." 
 
 Rustem answered, " Have no fear on my 
 account. I will catch him by the girdle, and 
 drag him hither with his face upon the earth." 
 
 So saying he set spurs to Raksh. Afrasiab 
 saw him scouring the plain, and, astonished at 
 his youth, said to his nobles, " Who is this 
 dragon that has broken its chain ? I do not 
 know his name." 
 
 " It is the son of Zal, the son of San," said 
 they. " Do you not see that he has the club 
 of San in his hand ? " 
 
 Afrasiab galloped in front of his army 
 When Rustem saw him, he pulled up his 
 
152 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 horse and put his club over his shoulder ; but 
 when Afrasiab came near him, he let it hang 
 down from his saddle, and caught the Prince 
 by the girdle ; he wished to drag him out of 
 his saddle, and carry him off as the prize of 
 his day's fighting. But, what with the weight 
 of the King and Rustem's strong arm, the 
 leather of the girdle broke. Afrasiab fell 
 head foremost to the ground, and his nobles 
 made a ring round him. When Rustem saw 
 that the King had escaped him in this fashion, 
 he bit the back of his hand, and said, "Why 
 did I not lay hold under the armpits and carry 
 him off, girdle and all ? " 
 
 Meanwhile Afrasiab had been mounted by 
 his attendants on a swift horse, and had es- 
 caped by way of the desert, leaving his army 
 to shift for itself. And indeed it fared ill that 
 day. Zal and Mihrab, the Prince of Cabul, 
 and all the Persians and their allies, did won- 
 ders of valour. Many they killed, and many 
 they took prisoners. But there was no one 
 who could be compared to Rustem, who slew 
 with his own hand as many as a whole army 
 might have slain. 
 
RUSTEM FIGHTS WITH AFRASIAB. 153 
 
 Meanwhile Afrasiab rode with all speed to 
 the court of the King his father. 
 
 " My father," he said, " there is among the 
 Persian warriors a youth such as cannot be 
 matched elsewhere. He saw my standard, 
 and rushing upon me caught me from my 
 saddle you would have said that I weighed 
 no more than a fly. By good fortune the 
 buckle of my girdle broke, and I escaped by 
 the help of my nobles. But I am as nothing 
 in his hands, and yet you know that I have 
 some courage and strength. I say then make 
 peace with the Persians ; for this man there is 
 no resisting. You thought that the war was 
 nothing more than a game ; but it is a game 
 of which your army has had enough." 
 
 The King was astonished to hear the fierce 
 Afrasiab speak words of wisdom. Forthwith 
 he wrote a letter to Keikobad. " There has 
 been war enough," he said, " let us have peace. 
 Let the Tartars keep to their borders and the 
 Persians to theirs. Then the two nations shall 
 have rest and happiness." This letter he sealed, 
 and sent by a messenger to Keikobad. 
 
 When the King had read it, he said : " It is 
 
154 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 not I who was the first to raise my hand against 
 the Tartars. Afrasiab came across our border, 
 and killed Newder our king. Nevertheless, if 
 you repent of your misdeeds and desire peace, 
 I will not refuse it." 
 
 So peace was made between the Persians 
 and the Tartars. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW KING KAOUS MARCHED AGAINST THE LAND 
 OF THE GENII. 
 
 KING KEIKOBAD died, and his son Kaous sat 
 upon his throne. At first he was a moderate 
 and prudent prince ; but finding his riches 
 increase, and his armies grow more and more 
 numerous, he began to believe that there was 
 no one equal to him in the whole world, and 
 that he could do what he would. One day as 
 he sat drinking in one of the chambers of his 
 palace, and boasting after his custom, a Genius, 
 disguised as a minstrel, came to the King's 
 Chamberlain, and desired to be admitted to the 
 Royal presence. " I came," he said, " from the 
 country of the Genii, and I am a sweet singer. 
 Maybe the King, if he was to hear me, would 
 give me a post in his court." 
 
156 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 The Chamberlain went to the King, and said, 
 " There is a minstrel at the gate ; he has a harp 
 in his hand, and his voice is marvellously sweet." 
 
 " Bring him up," said the King. 
 
 So they brought him in, and gave him a place 
 among the musicians, and commanded that he 
 should give them a trial of his powers. So the 
 minstrel, after playing a prelude on his harp, 
 sang a song of the land of the Genii. 
 
 " There is no land in all the world " this was 
 the substance of his song " like Mazanderan, 
 the land of the Genii. All the year round the 
 rose blooms in its gardens and the hyacinth on 
 its hills. It knows no heat nor cold, only an 
 eternal spring. The nightingales sing in its 
 thicket, and through its valleys wander the deer, 
 and the water of its stream is as the water of 
 roses, delighting the soul with its perfume. Of 
 its treasures there is no end ; the whole country 
 is covered with gold and embroidery and jewels. 
 No man can say that he is happy unless he has 
 seen Mazanderan." 
 
 When the King heard this song, he im- 
 mediately conceived the thought of marching 
 against this wonderful country. Turning, there- 
 
THE LAND OF THE GENIL 157 
 
 fore, to his warriors, he said : " We are given 
 over to feasting ; but the brave must not suffer 
 himself to rest in idleness. I am wealthier 
 and, I doubt not, stronger than all the kings 
 that have gone before me ; it becomes me also 
 to surpass them in my achievements. We will 
 conquer the Land of Genii." 
 
 The warriors of the King were little pleased 
 to hear such talk from his lips. No one 
 ventured to speak, but their hearts were full of 
 trouble and fear, for they had no desire to fight 
 against the Genii. 
 
 " We are your subjects, O King," they said, 
 " and will do as you desire." But when they 
 were by themselves, and could speak openly, 
 they said one to another, " What a trouble is 
 this that has come of our prosperous fortune ! 
 Unless by good fortune the King forgets in 
 his cups this purpose of his, we and the whole 
 country are lost. Jemshid, whom the Genii 
 and the Peris and the very birds of the air 
 used to obey, never ventured to talk in this 
 fashion of Mazanderan, or to seek war against 
 the Genii ; and Feridun, though he was the 
 wisest of kings, and skilful in all magical arts, 
 
158 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 never cherished such a plan." So they sat, 
 overwhelmed with anxiety. 
 
 At last one of them said, " My friends; there 
 is only one way of escaping from this danger. 
 Let us send a swift dromedary to Zal of the 
 white hair, with this message : ' Though your 
 head be covered with dust, do not stay to wash 
 it, but come/ Perhaps Zal will give the King 
 wise advice, and, telling him that this plan of 
 his is nothing but a counsel of Satan, will per- 
 suade him to change his purpose. Otherwise 
 we are lost, small and great." 
 
 The nobles listened to this advice, and sent a 
 messenger to Zal, mounted on a swift dromedary. 
 
 When Zal heard what had happened, he said : 
 " The King is self-willed. He has not yet felt 
 either the cold or the heat of the world. He 
 thinks that all men, great and small, tremble at 
 his sword, and it must needs be that he learn 
 better by experience. However, I will go ; I 
 will give him the best advice that I can. If he 
 will be persuaded by me, it will be well ; but if 
 not, the way is open, and Rustem shall go with 
 his army." All night long he revolved these 
 matters in his heart. The next morning he 
 
THE LAND OF THE GENII. 159 
 
 went his way, and arrived at the court of the 
 King. 
 
 The King received him with all honour, 
 bade him sit by his side, and inquired how he 
 had borne the fatigue of his journey, and of the 
 welfare of Rustem, his son. Then Zal spoke 
 
 " I have heard, my lord, that you are forming 
 plans against the Land of the Genii. Will it 
 please you to listen to me ? There have been 
 mighty kings before you, but never during all 
 my years, which now are many, has any one of 
 them conceived in his heart such a design as 
 this. This land is inhabited by Genii that are 
 skilful in all magical arts. They can lay such 
 bonds upon men that no one is able to hurt 
 them. No sword is keen enough to cut them 
 through ; riches and wisdom and valour are 
 alike powerless against them. I implore you, 
 therefore, not to waste your riches, and the 
 riches of your country and the blood of your 
 warriors, on so hopeless an enterprise." 
 
 The King answered, " Doubtless it is true 
 that the kings my predecessors never ventured 
 to entertain such a plan. But am I not superior 
 to them in courage, in power, and wealth ? 
 
160 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Had they such warriors as you, and Rustem 
 your son ? Do not think to turn me from my 
 purpose. I will go against the country of these 
 accursed magicians, and verily I will not leave 
 one single soul alive in it, for they are an evil 
 race. If you do not care to come with me, at 
 least refrain from advising me to sit idle upon 
 my throne." 
 
 When Zal heard this answer, he said : " You 
 are the King, and we are your slaves. What- 
 ever you ordain is right and just, and it is 
 only by thy good pleasure that we breathe and 
 move. I have said what was in my heart. All 
 that remains now is to obey, and to pray that 
 the Ruler of the world may prosper your 
 counsels." 
 
 When he had thus spoken, Zal took leave of 
 the King, and departed for his own country. 
 
 The very next day the King set out with 
 his army for the Land of the Genii, and, after 
 marching for several days, pitched his tent at 
 the foot of Mount Asprus, and held a great 
 revel all the night long with his chiefs. The 
 next morning he said, " Choose me two thousand 
 men who will break down the gates of Mazan- " 
 
THE LAND OF THE GENII. 161 
 
 derail with their clubs. And take care that 
 when you have taken the city you spare neither 
 young nor old, for I will rid the world of these 
 magicians." They did as the King commanded, 
 and in a short space of time the city, which was 
 before the richest and most beautiful in the 
 whole world, was made into a desert. 
 
 When the King of Mazanderan heard of 
 these things he called a messenger, and said : 
 " Go to the White Genius and say to him, 
 * The Persians have come with a great army 
 and are destroying everything. Make haste 
 and help me, or there will be nothing left to 
 preserve.' ' 
 
 The White Genius said, " Tell the King not 
 to be troubled; I will see to these Persians." 
 
 That same night the whole army of King 
 Kaolis was covered with a wonderful cloud. 
 The sky was dark as pitch, and there fell from 
 it such a terrible storm of hailstones that 
 no one could stand against them. When the 
 next morning came, lo ! the King and all that 
 had not fled for many fled to their own coun 
 try or been killed by the hailstones, were- 
 blind. Seven days they remained terrified 
 
 12 
 
1 62 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 and helpless. On the eighth day they heard 
 the voice, loud as a clap of thunder, of the 
 White Genius. 
 
 " King," said he, " you coveted the land of 
 Mazanderan, you entered the city, you slew 
 and took prisoners many of the people ; but 
 you did not know what I could do. And now, 
 see, you have your desire. Your lot is of your 
 own contriving." 
 
 The White Genius then gave over the King 
 and his companions to the charge of an army 
 of twelve thousand Genii, and commanded that 
 they should be kept in prison, and have just 
 so much food given them as should keep them 
 alive from day to day. Kaoiis, however, con- 
 trived to send by one of his warriors a message 
 to Zal the White-haired, telling him of all the 
 troubles that had come upon him. When Zal 
 heard the news he was cut to the heart, and 
 sent without delay for Rustem. " Rustem," 
 said he, " this is no time for a man to eat and 
 drink and take his pleasure. The King is 
 in the hands of Satan, and we must deliver him. 
 As for me, I am old and feeble ; but you are 
 of the age for war. Saddle Raksh, your 
 
THE LAND OF THE GENII. 163 
 
 horse, and set forth without a moment's delay. 
 The White Genius must not escape the punish- 
 ment of his misdeeds at your hands." 
 
 " The way is long," said Rustem ; "how shall 
 I go?" 
 
 " There are two ways," answered Zal, " and 
 both are difficult and dangerous. The King 
 went by the longer way. The other is by far 
 the shorter, a two weeks' march and no more ; 
 but it is full of lions and evil Genii, and it is 
 surrounded by darkness. Still, I would have 
 you go by it. God will be your helper ; and 
 difficult as the way may be, it will have an end, 
 and your good horse Raksh will accomplish it. 
 And if it be the will of Heaven that you should 
 fall by the hand of the White Genius, who can 
 change the ordering of destiny ? Sooner or 
 later, we must all depart, and death should be 
 no trouble to him who has filled the earth with 
 his glory." 
 
 " My father, I am ready to do your bidding," 
 said Rustem. " Nevertheless, the heroes of 
 old cared not to go of their own accord into 
 the land of death ; and it is only he who is 
 weary of life that throws himself in the way 
 
1 64 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 of a roaring lion. Still I go, and I ask for no 
 nelp but from the justice of God. With that 
 on my side I will break the charm of the 
 magicians. The White Genius himself shall 
 not escape me." 
 
 Rustem armed himself, and went on his way. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 
 
 RUSTEM made such speed that he accomplished 
 two days' journey in one. But at last, finding 
 himself hungry and weary, and seeing that 
 there were herds of wild asses in the plain 
 which he was traversing, he thought that he 
 would catch one of them for his meal, and rest 
 for the night. So pressing his knees into his 
 horse's side he pursued one of them. There 
 was no escape for the swiftest beast when 
 Rustem was mounted on Raksh, and in a 
 very short time a wild ass was caught with the 
 lasso. Rustem struck a light with a flint 
 stone, and making a fire with brambles and 
 branches of trees, roasted the ass and ate it for 
 his meal. This done he took the bridle from 
 his horse, let him loose to graze upon the plain, 
 and prepared to sleep himself in a bed of 
 
1 66 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 rushes. Now in the middle of this bed of 
 rushes was a lion's lair, and at the end of the 
 first watch the lion came back, and was as- 
 tonished to see lying asleep on the rushes a 
 man as tall as an elephant, with a horse stand- 
 ing near him. The lion said to himself, " I 
 must first tear the horse, and then the rider will 
 be mine whenever I please." So he leapt at 
 Raksh ; but the horse darted at him like a 
 flash of fire, and struck him on the head with 
 his fore-feet. Then he seized him by the back 
 with his teeth, and battered him to pieces on 
 the earth. When Rustem awoke and saw the 
 dead lion, which indeed was of a monstrous 
 size, he said to Raksh, " Wise beast, who bade 
 you fight with a lion ? If you had fallen under 
 his claws, how should I have carried to Maz- 
 anderan this cuirass and helmet, this lasso, my 
 bow and my sword ? " Then he went to sleep 
 again ; but awaking at sunrise, saddled Raksh 
 and went on his way. 
 
 He had now to accomplish the most difficult 
 part of his journey across a waterless desert, so hot 
 that the very birds could not live in it. Horse 
 and rider were both dying of thirst, and Rustem, 
 

THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 167 
 
 dismounting, could scarcely struggle along while 
 he supported his steps by his spear. When he 
 had almost given up all hope, he saw a well- 
 nourished ram pass by. " Where," said he to 
 himself, " is the reservoir from which this crea- 
 ture drinks ? " Accordingly he followed the 
 ram's footsteps, holding his horse's bridle in 
 one hand and his sword in the other, and the 
 ram led him to a spring. Then Rustem lifted 
 up his eyes to heaven and thanked God for 
 His mercies ; afterwards he blessed the ram, 
 saying, " No harm come to thee for ever ! 
 May the grass of the valleys and the desert be 
 always green for thee, and may the bow of him 
 that would hunt thee be broken, for thou hast 
 saved Rustem ; verily without thee he would 
 have been torn to pieces by the wild beasts of 
 the desert." 
 
 After this he caught another wild ass, and 
 roasted him for his meal. Then having- bathed 
 
 o 
 
 in the spring, he lay down to sleep ; but before 
 he lay down, he said to Raksh, his horse : 
 11 Do not seek quarrel or friendship with any. 
 If an enemy come, run to me ; and do not fight 
 either with Genius or lion." 
 
1 68 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 After this he slept ; and Raksh now grazed, 
 and now galloped about over the plain. 
 
 Now it so happened that there was a great 
 dragon that had its bed in this part of the 
 desert. So mighty a beast was it, that not 
 even a Genius had dared to pass by that way. 
 The dragon was astonished to see a man asleep 
 and a horse by his side, and began to make 
 its way to the horse. Raksh did as he had 
 been bidden, and running towards his master, 
 stamped with his feet upon the ground. Rustem 
 awoke, and seeing nothing when he looked about 
 him for the dragon meanwhile had disappeared 
 was not a little angry. He rebuked Raksh, 
 and went to sleep again. Then the dragon 
 came once more out of the darkness, and the 
 horse ran with all speed to his master, tearing 
 up the ground and kicking. A second time the 
 sleeper awoke, but as he saw nothing but 
 darkness round him, he was greatly enraged, 
 and said to his faithful horse 
 
 " Why do you disturb me ? If it wearies you 
 to see me asleep, yet you cannot bring the night 
 to an end. I said that if a lion came to attack 
 you, I would protect you ; but I did not tell 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 169 
 
 you to trouble me in this way. Verily, if you 
 make such a noise again, I will cut off your 
 head and go on foot, carrying all my arms and 
 armour with me to Mazanderan." 
 
 A third time Rustem slept, and a third time 
 the dragon came. This time Raksh, who did 
 not venture to come near his master, fled over 
 the plain ; he was equally afraid of the dragon 
 and of Rustem. Still his love for his master 
 did not suffer him to rest. He neighed and 
 tore up the earth, till Rustem woke up again in 
 a rage. But this time God would not suffer the 
 dragon to hide himself, and Rustem saw him 
 through the darkness, and, drawing his sword, 
 rushed at him. 
 
 But first he said " Tell me your name ; my 
 hand must not tear your soul from your body 
 before I know your name." 
 
 The dragon said " No man can ever save 
 himself from my claws ; I have dwelt in this 
 desert for ages, and the very eagles have not 
 dared to fly across. Tell me then your name, 
 bold man. Unhappy is the mother that bare 
 you." 
 
 " I am Rustem, son of Zal of the white hair," 
 
i;o THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 said the hero, " and there is nothing on earth 
 that I fear." 
 
 Then the dragon threw itself upon Rustem. 
 But the horse Raksh laid back his ears, and 
 began to tear the dragon's back with his teeth, 
 just as a lion might have torn it. 
 
 The hero stood astonished for a while ; then, 
 drawing his sword, severed the monster's head 
 from its body. Then, having first performed 
 his ablutions, he returned thanks to God, and 
 mounting on Raksh, went his way. 
 
 All that day he travelled across the plain, and 
 came at sunset to the land of the magicians. 
 Just as the daylight was disappearing, he spied 
 a delightful spot for his night's encampment. 
 There were trees and grass, and a spring of 
 water. And beside the spring there was a 
 flagon of red wine, and a roast kid, with bread 
 and salt and confectionery neatly arranged. 
 Rustem dismounted, unsaddled his horse, and 
 looked with astonishment at the provisions thus 
 prepared. It was the meal of certain magicians, 
 who had vanished when they saw him approach. 
 
 Of this he knew nothing, but sitting down 
 without question, filled a cup with wine, and 
 
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 /W^-- * 
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 ^-j* *\ 
 
 " '*^f-\> ! 
 
 ;:W 
 
 ^e'",, 
 
 A&.SI 
 
 ,'A'^> 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUST EM. 171 
 
 taking a harp which he found lying by the side 
 of the flagon, sang 
 
 " The scourge of the wicked am I, 
 And my days still in battle go by ; 
 Not for me is the red wine that glows 
 In the reveller's cup, nor the rose 
 That blooms in the land of delight ; 
 But with monsters and demons to fight." 
 
 The music and the voice of the singer reached 
 the ears of a witch that was in those parts. 
 Forthwith, by her art, she made her face as fair 
 as spring, and, approaching Rustem, asked him 
 how he fared, and sat down by his side. The 
 hero thanked heaven that he had thus found in 
 the desert such good fare and excellent company 
 for he did not know that the lovely visitor 
 was a witch. He welcomed her, and handed 
 her a cup of wine ; but, as he handed it, he 
 named the name of God, and at the sound her 
 colour changed, and she became as black as 
 charcoal. 
 
 When Rustem saw this, quick as the wind he 
 threw his lasso over her head. 
 
 " Confess who you are,'* he cried ; " show 
 yourself in your true shape." 
 
i;2 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Then the witch was changed into a decrepid, 
 wrinkled old woman. Rustem cut her in halves 
 with a blow of his sword. 
 
 The next day he continued his journey with 
 all the speed that he could use, and came to a 
 place where it was utterly dark. Neither sun, 
 nor moon, nor stars could be seen ; and all that 
 the hero could do was to let the reins fall on his 
 horse's neck, and ride on as chance might direct. 
 
 In time he came to a most delightful country, 
 where the sun was shining brightly, and where 
 the ground was covered with green. Rustem 
 took off his cuirass of leopard skin, and his 
 helmet, and let Raksh find pasture where he 
 could in the fertile fields, and lay down to sleep. 
 When the keeper of the fields saw the horse 
 straying among them and feeding, he was filled 
 with rage, and running up to the hero, dealt 
 him with his stick a great blow upon the feet. 
 
 Rustem awoke. 
 
 " Son of Satan," said the keeper, " why do 
 you let your horse stray in the corn-fields ? " 
 
 Rustem leapt upon the man, and without 
 uttering a single word good or bad, wrenched 
 his ears from his head. 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 173 
 
 Now the owner of this fertile country was a 
 young warrior of renown named Aulad. The 
 keeper ran up to him with his ears in his hand, 
 and said 
 
 " There has come to this place a son of 
 Satan, clad in a cuirass of leopard skin, with 
 an iron helmet. I was going to drive his horse 
 out of the corn-fields, when he leapt upon me, 
 tore my ears from my head without saying a 
 single word, and then lay down to sleep again." 
 
 Aulad was about to go hunting with his 
 chiefs ; but when he heard the keeper's story 
 he altered his plan, and set out to the place 
 where he heard that Rustem had been seen. 
 Rustem, as soon as he saw him approach, and 
 a great company with him, ran to Raksh, leapt 
 on his back, and rode forward. Aulad said to 
 him, " Who are you ? What are you doing 
 here ? Why did you pluck off my keeper's 
 ears and let your horse feed in the corn-fields ? " 
 
 "If you were to hear my name," said Rustem, 
 "it would freeze the blood in your heart." 
 
 So saying he drew his sword, and fastening 
 his lasso to the bow of his saddle, rushed as a 
 lion rushes into the midst of a herd of oxen. 
 
174 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 With every blow of his sword he cut off a 
 warrior's head, till the whole of Aulad's company 
 was either slain or scattered. Aulad himself he 
 did not kill, but throwing his lasso, caught him 
 by the neck, dragged him from his horse, and 
 bound his hands. " Now," said he, "if you will tell 
 me the truth, and, without attempting to deceive, 
 will show me where the White Genius dwells, 
 and will guide me to where King Kaoiis is 
 kept prisoner, then I will make you King of 
 Mazanderan. But if you speak a word of false- 
 hood you die." 
 
 " It is well," said Aulad ; " I will do what you 
 desire. I will show you where the King is 
 imprisoned. It is four hundred miles from this 
 place ; and four hundred miles further, a difficult 
 and dangerous way, is the dwelling of the White 
 Genius. It is a cavern so deep that no mere 
 man has ever sounded it, and lies between 
 two mountains. Twelve thousand Genii watch 
 it during the night, for the White Genius is the 
 chief and master of all his tribe. You will find 
 him a terrible enemy, and, for all your strong 
 arms and hands, your keen sword, your lance 
 and your club, you will scarcely be able to 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 175 
 
 conquer him ; . and when you have conquered 
 him, there will still be much to be done. In 
 the city of the King of Mazanderan there are 
 thousands of warriors, and not a coward among 
 them ; and besides these, there are two hundred 
 war-elephants. Were you made of iron, could 
 you venture to deal alone with these sons of 
 Satan ? " 
 
 Rustem smiled when he heard this, and said, 
 " Come with me, and you will see what a single 
 man, who puts his trust in God, can do. And 
 now show me first the way to the King's 
 prison." 
 
176 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM 
 
 (continued]. 
 
 RUSTEM mounted on Raksh, and rode gaily 
 forward, and Aulad ran in front of him. For 
 a whole day and night he ran, nor ever grew 
 tired, till they reached the foot of Mount Asprus, 
 where King Kaotis had fallen into the power of 
 the Genii. About midnight they heard a great 
 beating of drums, and saw many fires blaze up. 
 
 Rustem said to Aulad, "What mean these 
 fires that are blazing up to right and left of us ? " 
 
 Aulad answered, " This is the way into 
 Mazanderan. The great Genius Arzeng must 
 be there." 
 
 Then Rustem went to sleep ; and when he 
 woke in the morning he took his lasso and 
 fastened Aulad to the trunk of a tree. Then 
 hanging his grandfather's club to his saddle- 
 bow, he rode on. 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 177 
 
 His conflict with Arzeng, the chief of the 
 army of the Genii, was soon finished. As he 
 approached the camp he raised his battle cry. 
 His shout was loud enough, one would have 
 said, to split the very mountains, and Arzeng, 
 when he heard it, rushed out of his tent. 
 Rustem set spurs to his horse, and galloping 
 up to the Genius, caught him by the head, tore it 
 from the body, and threw it into the midst of 
 the army. When the Genii saw it, and caught 
 sight also of the great club, they fled in the 
 wildest confusion, fathers trampling upon their 
 sons in their eagerness to escape. The hero put 
 the whole herd of them to the sword, and then 
 returned as fast as he could to the place where 
 he had left Aulad bound to the tree. He 
 unloosed the knots of the lasso, and bidding 
 him lead the way to the prison-house of the 
 King, set spurs to Raksh, Aulad running in 
 front as before. 
 
 When they entered the town, Raksh neighed. 
 His voice was as loud as thunder, and the King 
 heard it, and in a moment understood all that 
 had happened. " That is the voice of Raksh," 
 .he said to the Persians that were with him ; 
 
i?8 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 " our evil days are over. This was the way in 
 which he neighed in King Kobad's time, when 
 he made war on the Scythians." 
 
 The Persians said to themselves, " Our poor 
 King has lost his senses, or he is dreaming. 
 There is no help for us." But they had hardly- 
 finished speaking when the hero appeared, and 
 did homage to the King. Kaotis embraced him, 
 and then said : " If you are to help me, you 
 must go before the Genii know of your coming. 
 So soon as the White Genius shall hear of the 
 fall of Arzeng, he will assemble such an army of 
 his fellows as shall make all your pains and 
 labour lost. But you must know that you have 
 great difficulties to overcome. First, you must 
 cross seven mountains, all of them occupied by 
 troops of Genii ; then you will see before you 
 a terrible cavern more terrible, I have heard 
 say, than any other place in the world. The 
 entrance to it is guarded by warrior Genii, and 
 in it dwells the White Genius himself. He is both 
 the terror and the hope of his army. Conquer 
 him, and all will be well. A wise physician 
 tells me that the only remedy for my blindness 
 is to drop into my eyes three drops of the White 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 179 
 
 Genius' blood. Go and conquer, if you would 
 save your King." 
 
 Without any delay Rusteni set forth, Raksh 
 carrying him like the wind. When he reached 
 the great cavern, he said to Aulad, who had 
 guided him on his way as before, " The time of 
 conflict is come. Show me the way." 
 
 Aulad answered, " When the sun shall grow 
 hot, the Genii will go to sleep. That will be 
 your time to conquer them." 
 
 Rustem waited till the sun was at its highest, 
 and then went forth to battle. The Genii that 
 were on guard fled at the sound of his voice, 
 and he went on without finding any to resist 
 him till he came to the great cavern of which 
 the King had spoken. It was a terrible place 
 to see, and he stood for a while with his sword 
 in his hand, doubting what he should do. No 
 one would choose such a spot for battle, and as 
 for escaping from it, that was beyond all hope. 
 Long he looked into the darkness, and at last 
 he saw a monstrous shape which seemed to 
 reach across the whole breadth of the cave. It 
 was the White Genius that was lying asleep. 
 Rustem did not attempt to surprise him in his 
 
i8o THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 sleep, but woke him by shouting his battle cry. 
 When the White Genius saw him he rushed at 
 once to do battle with him. First he caught 
 up from the ground a stone as big as a mill- 
 stone and hurled it at him. For the first time 
 Rustem felt a thrill of fear, so terrible was 
 his enemy. Nevertheless, gathering all his 
 strength, he struck at him a great blow with 
 his sword and cut off one of his feet. The 
 monster, though having but one foot, leapt 
 upon him like a wild elephant, and seized him 
 by the breast and arms, hoping to throw him 
 to the ground, and tore from his body great 
 morsels of flesh, so that the whole place was 
 covered with blood. Rustem said to himself, 
 " If I escape to-day I shall live for ever ; " and 
 the White Genius thought, " Even if I do 
 deliver myself from the claws of this dragon, I 
 shall never see Mazanderan again." Still he 
 did not lose courage, but continued to struggle 
 against the hero with all his might. 
 
 So the two fought together, the blood and 
 sweat running from them in great streams. 
 At last Rustem caught the Genius round the 
 body, and, putting out all his strength, hurled 
 
ftustem slaying the White Genius. 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 181 
 
 him to the ground with such force that his soul 
 was driven out of his body. Then he plunged 
 his poniard into the creature's heart, and tore 
 the liver out of his body. This done he 
 returned to Aulad, whom he had left bound 
 with his lasso, loosed him, and set out for the 
 place where he had left the King. But first 
 Aulad said to him, " I have the marks of your 
 bonds upon me ; my body is bruised with the 
 knots of your lasso ; I beseech you to respect 
 the promise which you made me of a reward. 
 A hero is bound to keep his word." 
 
 Rustem said : " I promised that you should 
 be King of Mazanderan, and King you shall be. 
 But I have much to do before my word can be 
 kept.. I have a great battle to fight, in which I 
 may be conquered, and I must rid this country 
 of the magicians with whom it is encumbered. 
 But be sure that, when all is done, I will not 
 fail of the promises which- 1 have made." 
 
 So Rustem returned to King Kaoiis, and, 
 dropping the blood of the White Genius into 
 his eyes, gave him back his sight. Seven days 
 the King and his nobles feasted together, 
 Rustem having the chief place. On the 
 
1 82 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 eighth day they set out to clear the country 
 of the accursed race of magicians. When 
 they had done this, the King said, " The guilty 
 have now been punished. Let no others suffer. 
 And now I will send a letter to the King of 
 Mazanderan." 
 
 So the King wrote a letter in these words : 
 " You see how God has punished the wrong- 
 doers how He has brought to nought the 
 Genii and the Magicians. Quit then your 
 town, and come here to pay homage and tribute 
 to me. If you will not, then your life shall be 
 as the life of Arzeng and the White Genius." 
 
 This letter was carried to the King by a 
 certain chief named Ferbad. When the King 
 had read it he was greatly troubled. Three 
 days he kept Ferbad as his guest, and then 
 sent back by him this answer: "Shall the water 
 of the sea be equal to wine ? Am I one to 
 whom you can say, ' Come* down from your 
 throne, and present yourself before me ' ? 
 Make ready to do battle with me, for verily I 
 will bring upon the land of Persia such de- 
 struction that no man shall be able to say what 
 is high and what is low." 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 183 
 
 Ferbad hastened back to the King of Persia. 
 "The man," he said, " is resolved not to yield." 
 Then the King sent to Rustem. And Rustem 
 said, " Send me with a letter that shall be as 
 keen as a sword and a message like a thunder- 
 cloud." So the King sent for a scribe, who, 
 making the point of his reed as fine as an 
 arrow-head, wrote thus : " These are foolish 
 words, and do not become a man of sense. 
 Put away your arrogance, and be obedient to 
 my words. If you refuse, I will bring such an 
 army against you as shall cover your land from 
 one sea to the other ; and the ghost of the 
 White Genius shall call the vultures to feast on 
 your brains." 
 
 The King set his seal to this letter, and 
 Rustem departed with it, with his club hanging 
 to his saddle-bow. When the King of Mazan- 
 deran heard of his coming, he sent some of his 
 nobles to meet him. When Rustem saw them, 
 he caught a huge tree that was by the wayside 
 in his hands, twisted it with all his might, and 
 tore it up roots and all. Then he poised it in 
 his hand as if it were a javelin. One of the 
 nobles, the strongest of them all, rode up to 
 
1 84 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 him, caught one of his hands, and pressed 
 it with all his might. Rustem only smiled ; 
 but when in his turn he caught the noble's 
 hand in his, he crushed all the veins and bones, 
 so that the man fell fainting from his horse. 
 
 When the King heard what had been done, 
 he called one of his warriors, Kalahour by 
 name, the strongest man in his dominions, and 
 said to him, " Go and meet this messenger ; 
 show him your prowess, and cover his face 
 with shame." So Kalahour rode to meet 
 Rustem, and, taking him by the hand, wrung 
 it with all the strength of an elephant. The 
 hand turned blue with the pain, but the hero 
 did not flinch or give any sign of pain. But 
 when in his turn he wrung the hand of Kala- 
 hour, the nails dropped from it as the leaves 
 drop from a tree. Kalahour rode back, his 
 hand hanging down, and said to the King, " It 
 will be better for you to make peace than to 
 fight with this lion, whose strength is such that 
 no man can stand against him. Pay this 
 tribute, and we will make it good to you. 
 Otherwise we are lost." 
 
 At this moment Rustem rode up. The 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 185 
 
 King gave him a place at his right hand, and 
 asked him of his welfare. Rustem, for answer, 
 gave him the letter of Kei-Kaous. When the 
 King had read the letter, his face became black 
 as thunder. Then he said, " Carry back this 
 auswer to your master : ' You are lord of 
 Persia, and I of Mazanderan. Be content ; 
 seek not that which is not yours. Otherwise 
 your pride will lead you to your fall.' " 
 
 The King would have given Rustem royal 
 gifts, robes of honour, and horses, and gold. 
 But the hero would have none of them, but 
 went away in anger. When he had returned 
 to the King of Persia, he said to him, " Fear 
 nothing, but make ready for battle. As for the 
 warriors of this land of Mazanderan, they are 
 nothing ; I count them no better than a grain 
 of dust." 
 
 Meanwhile the King of the Magicians 
 prepared for war. He gathered an army, 
 horsemen and foot-soldiers and elephants, that 
 covered the face of the earth, and approached 
 the borders of Persia ; and, on the other hand, 
 King Kaous marshalled his men of war and 
 went out to encounter him. The King him- 
 
1 86 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 self took his place in the centre of the line 
 of battle, and in front of all stood the great 
 Rustem. 
 
 One of the nobles of Mazanderan came out 
 of their line, with a great club in his hands, and 
 approaching the Persian army, cried in a loud 
 voice, "Who is ready to fight with me? He 
 should be one who is able to change water into 
 dust." 
 
 None of the Persian nobles answered him, 
 and King Kaotis said, " Why is it, ye men of 
 war, that your faces are troubled, and your 
 tongues silent before this Genius." 
 
 But still the nobles made no answer. Then 
 Rustem caught the rein of his horse, and, 
 putting the point of his lance over his shoulder, 
 rode up to the King, and said, "Will the King 
 give me permission to fight with this Genius ? " 
 
 The King said, " The task is worthy of you, 
 for none of the Persians dare to meet this 
 warrior. Go and prosper ! " 
 
 So Rustem set spurs to Raksh, and rode 
 against the warrior who had challenged the 
 Persians. 
 
 " Hear," he said, as soon as he came near, 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 187 
 
 "your name is blotted out of the list of the 
 living ; for the moment is come when you shall 
 suffer the recompense of all your misdeeds." 
 
 The warrior answered, " Boast not yourself 
 so proudly. My sword makes mothers childless." 
 
 When Rustem heard this he cried with a 
 voice of thunder, " I am Rustem ! " and the 
 warrior, who had no desire to fight the 
 champion of the world, turned his back and 
 fled. But Rustem pursued him, and thrust at 
 him with his lance where the belt joins the 
 coat of mail, and pierced him through, for the 
 armour could not turn the point of the great 
 spear. Then he lifted him out of his saddle, 
 and raised him up in the air, as if he were a 
 bird which a man had run through with a spit. 
 This done, he dashed him down dead upon the 
 ground, and all the nobles of Mazanderan stood 
 astonished at the sight. 
 
 After this the two armies joined battle. The 
 air grew dark, and the flashing of the swords 
 and clubs flew like the lightning out of a 
 thunder-cloud, and the mountains trembled with 
 the cries of the combatants. Never had any 
 living man seen so fierce a fight before. 
 
1 88 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 For seven days the battle raged, and neither 
 the one side nor the other could claim the victory. 
 On the eighth day King Kaolis bowed himself 
 before God, taking his crown from his head, and 
 prayed with his face to the ground, saying, " O 
 Lord God, give me, I beseech Thee, the victory 
 over the Genii who fear Thee not." 
 
 Then he set his helmet on his head, and put 
 himself at the head of his army. First of all 
 Rustem began the attack, charging the centre 
 of the enemy's army. He directed his course 
 straight to the place where the King of 
 Mazanderan stood, surrounded with his chiefs 
 and a great host of elephants. When the King 
 saw the shine of his lance, he lost courage, and 
 would have fled. But Rustem, with a cry like 
 a lion's roar, charged him, and struck him on 
 the girdle with his spear. The spear pierced 
 the steel, and would have slain the King, but 
 that by his magic art he changed himself, before 
 the eyes of all the Persian army, into a mass of 
 rock. Rustem stood astonished to see such a 
 marvel. 
 
 When King Kaotis came up with his 
 warriors, he said to Rustem, " What is it ?' 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 189 
 
 What ails you that you tarry here, doing 
 nothing ?" 
 
 " My lord," answered Rustem, " I charged 
 the King of Mazanderan, spear in hand ; I 
 struck him on the girdle, but when I thought to 
 see him fall from his saddle, he changed himself 
 into a rock before my eyes, and now he feels 
 nothing that I can do." 
 
 Then King Kaoiis commanded that they 
 should take up the rock and put it before his 
 throne. But when the strongest men in the 
 army came to handle the rock, or sought to 
 draw it with cords, they could do nothing ; 
 it remained immovable. Rustem, however, 
 without any one to help him, lifted it from the 
 earth, and carrying it into the camp, threw it 
 down before the King's tent, and said, " Give 
 up these cowardly tricks and the art of magic. 
 Else I will break this rock into pieces." 
 
 When the King of Mazanderan heard this, 
 he made himself visible, black as a thunder-cloud, 
 with a helmet of steel upon his head, and a coat 
 of mail upon his breast. Rustem laughed, and 
 caught him by the hand, and brought him 
 before the King. 
 
190 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 (i See," said he, " this lump of rock, who, for 
 fear of the hatchet, has given himself up to 
 me ! " 
 
 When Kaoiis looked at him and observed 
 how savage of aspect he was, with the neck and 
 tusks of a wild boar, he saw that he was not 
 worthy to sit upon a throne, and bade the 
 executioner take him away and cut him in 
 pieces. This done, he sent to the enemies' 
 camp, and commanded that all the spoil, the 
 King's throne, and his crown and girdle, the 
 the horses and the armour, the swords and 
 jewels, should be gathered together. Then he 
 called up his army, and distributed to them 
 rewards in proportion to what they had clone 
 and suffered. After this he spent seven days 
 in prayer, humbling himself before Gocl, and 
 offering up thanksgiving. On the eighth day 
 he seated himself on his throne, and opened his 
 treasures, and gave to all that had need. Thus 
 he spent another seven days. On the fifteenth 
 day, he called for wine and cups of amber and 
 rubies, and sat for seven days on his throne, 
 with the wine-cup in his hand. 
 
 He sent for Rustem, and said, " It is of your 
 
THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM. 191 
 
 doing, by your strength and courage, that I 
 have recovered my throne." 
 
 Rustem answered, "A man must do his duty. 
 As for the honours that you would give me, I 
 owe them all to Aulad, who has always guided 
 me on the right way. He hopes to be made 
 King of Mazanderan. Let the King, there- 
 fore, if it please him, invest him with the 
 crown." 
 
 And this the King did. 
 
 The next day Kaous and his army set out 
 to return to the land of Persia. When he had 
 reached his palace, he seated himself upon his 
 throne, and sending for Rustem, put him at his 
 side. 
 
 Rustem said, " My lord, permit me to go 
 back to the old man Zal, my father." 
 
 The King commanded that they should 
 bring splendid presents for the hero. The 
 presents were these : A throne of turquoise, 
 adorned with rams' heads ; a royal crown set 
 about with jewels ; a robe of brocade of gold 
 such as is worn by the King of Kings ; a 
 bracelet and a chain of gold ; a hundred 
 maidens, with faces fair as the full moon, and 
 
192 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 girdles of gold ; a hundred youths, whose hair 
 was fragrant with musk ; a hundred horses, 
 caparisoned with gold and silver ; a hundred 
 mules with black hair, with loads of brocade 
 that came from the land of Room and from 
 Persia. After these they brought and laid at 
 the hero's feet a hundred purses filled with gold 
 pieces ; a cup of rubies, filled with pure musk ; 
 another cup of turquoise, filled with attar of 
 roses ; and, last of all, a letter written on pages 
 of silk in ink made of wine and aloes and 
 amber and the black of lamps. By this letter 
 the King of Kings gave anew to Rustem the 
 kingdom of the South. Then Kaoiis blessed 
 him, and said : " May you live as long as men 
 shall see the sun and the moon in heaven ! 
 May the great of the earth join themselves to 
 you ! May your own soul be full of modesty 
 and tenderness ! " 
 
 Rustem prostrated himself on the earth, and 
 kissed the throne ; and so took his departure. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SOHRAB. 
 
 ONE day Rustem thought that he would hunt. 
 So he filled his quiver with arrows, and^ 
 mounting his horse Raksh, set out for the 
 country which borders on Tartary. As he 
 went he came upon a plain which was covered 
 with herds of wild asses. Rustem smiled to 
 see them, and, pursuing them on his fleet- 
 footed horse, killed many of them, some with 
 his arrows, and some, first catching them with 
 his lasso, with his club. His hunting done, he 
 lighted a great fire of brushwood, brambles, 
 and branches of trees ; then taking a young 
 tree to serve him for a spit, ran it through the 
 body of one of the asses, and roasted the flesh 
 at the fire. When it was well done, he tore it 
 joint from joint, ate his full of it, and broke the 
 
I 9 4 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 bones for the marrow. His meal finished, he 
 lay down to sleep, while Raksh grazed on the 
 plain. While he slept, seven Tartar warriors 
 came that way, and saw the tracks of Raksh, 
 who had wandered far away from his master's 
 camping-place. Not long afterwards they 
 came upon him, and made haste to possess 
 themselves of him. First they tried to throw 
 a lasso over him, but when Raksh saw the 
 lasso he rushed at them like a lion, struck two 
 of them dead with two blows of his fore-feet, 
 and bit off the head of a third. Thus three of 
 the company were dead, and the brave Raksh 
 was not yet taken. Nevertheless the other 
 four entangled him with their lassos, and, so 
 capturing him, took him with them to the town. 
 
 When Rustem woke from his sleep, he 
 looked about for his horse, but could find no 
 traces of him. " How can I go," he said to 
 himself, " carrying rny quiver and my club, this 
 heavy helmet, this sword, and this coat of 
 mail ? The Tartars will say, * Rustem slept 
 and some one stole his horse,' and I shall be 
 covered with shame." 
 
 When he came near to the town of Semen- 
 
SOHRAB. 195 
 
 gan, the King and his nobles saw that it was 
 Rustem that was approaching. The King 
 went out to meet him, and said : " What has 
 happened ? How is it that you came on foot ? 
 Tell us how we can serve you. We are all at 
 your bidding." 
 
 Rustem saw that they were friends, and 
 answered : " My horse Raksh has escaped 
 from me on this plain without bit or reins. 
 Find him for me, and I will reward you as 
 is fitting. But if Raksh is not found, I will 
 make many suffer for it." 
 
 The King said: " No one will dare to do you 
 a wrong in this matter. Come and be my 
 guest. Let us drive away care with the wine- 
 cup. Anger profits nothing. It is by charming 
 that one brings the serpent out of his hole. As 
 for the horse Raksh, it is not possible that he 
 should be hid, for all the world knows of him. 
 We will look for him, and bring him to you 
 without delay." 
 
 So Rustem put away all suspicion out of his 
 mind, and became the guest of the King. So 
 they sat and drank wine together, and the King 
 waited upon him as though he were his slave. 
 
196 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 While the hero tarried in the palace, the 
 King's daughter, who had often heard of his 
 prowess and courage, and of the great exploits 
 which he had done, saw him and loved him. 
 She was the most beautiful of maidens. Her 
 eyebrows were arched, the two plaits of her hair 
 like the ropes of a lasso, her lips like rubies, 
 and she was tall as a cypress. 
 
 Rustem asked her in marriage of her father, 
 and the King, who was glad to find so noble a 
 husband for her, gladly listened to his suit. So 
 the two the maiden's name was Tehmina 
 were married with much rejoicing. 
 
 When the time came that Rustem must 
 leave the King's court for there were grave 
 matters that called him back to Persia he 
 took an onyx bracelet that he wore upon his 
 arm, and gave it to his wife, saying, "If God 
 should give you a daughter, fasten this bracelet 
 under the curls of her hair, But if you should 
 bear a son, let him wear it on his arm, as his 
 father has worn it." 
 
 So Rustem departed, taking his horse with 
 him, for the King had found Raksh. 
 
 In due time Tehmina bore a son. The 
 
SOHRAB. 197 
 
 infant was as beautiful as the moon. When 
 he was but a month old he had the limbs of a 
 yearling child ; at three years he learnt exer- 
 cises of arms ; at five he was as bold as a lion ; 
 and at ten there was not a man in the whole 
 country that dared wrestle with him. One day 
 he went to his mother, and said, " Tell me who 
 I am. What must I say when they ask me 
 my father's name ? " 
 
 Tehmina said, " You are the son of Rustem. 
 Never since God made the world has there 
 been such a warrior as he ; " and she showed 
 him a letter from Rustem, and three rubies 
 which he had sent for a gift. " But," she said, 
 " King Afrasiab must know nothing of this, for 
 he is the sworn foe of Rustem. He would kill 
 the son because he hates the father. And 
 besides, if your father knew to what strength 
 and stature you are grown, he would send for you, 
 and your mother's heart would break for grief." 
 
 Sohrab said for that was the youth's name : 
 " This is a story that cannot be hid. But 
 listen to what I will do. I will put myself at 
 the head of an innumerable army of Tartars. 
 I will deprive King Kaoiis of his kingdom. I 
 
198 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 will set Rustem upon his throne ; and, this 
 done, I will make war against Afrasiab and 
 possess myself of his throne. Seeing that 
 Rustem is my father and I am his son, I will 
 not suffer that there should be any kings in the 
 world but he and I." 
 
 Sohrab, after he had chosen for himself a 
 horse, having the good fortune to find one that 
 was of the breed of Raksh, asked his grand- 
 father to help him. " I would go," he said, " to 
 the land of Persia, and help my father." 
 
 The King loaded him with gifts, and sent 
 him away. 
 
 Meanwhile it was told to King Afrasiab that 
 Sohrab was gathering an army againt the King 
 of Persia. He called his nobles and said : 
 " Listen to me ; I have a plan which shall rid 
 us of our enemies. Rustem must not know 
 that Sohrab is his son. The two will meet in 
 battle, and it may be that the young lion will 
 kill the old one. If it be so, one day we will 
 take Sohrab by stratagem and slay him. But 
 if Rustem, on the other hand, should slay his 
 son, then his heart will be eaten away with 
 grief, and we need fear him no more." 
 
SOHRAB. 199 
 
 Accordingly Afrasiab sent messengers to 
 Sohrab with gifts and this message : " You will 
 do well if you can conquer the land of Persia. 
 I send you for your help such an army as is 
 fitting. Go on, and prosper." 
 
 So Sohrab set out with his army. He came 
 in his march to a certain stronghold that was 
 called the White Fort, and was the chief hope 
 of the Persians. The governor of the fort was 
 an old man and very feeble ; but in the 
 garrison there was a very brave champion, 
 Hedjir by name, who, when he saw the army 
 of Sohrab approaching, rushed out to meet 
 him. "Come to me," he said, in his pride, 
 " and I will cut your head from your body, and 
 give your flesh to the vultures to eat." 
 
 Sohrab smiled to hear such brave words, and 
 charged his enemy. The two met. Hedjir 
 struck Sohrab on the girdle with a spear, but 
 the point did not pierce the armour. But 
 Sohrab, reversing his spear, struck Hedjir with 
 the shaft, and felled him from his saddle ; then, 
 leaping from his horse, stood over him, and 
 would have cut his head from his body, but 
 that the vanquished man begged for quarter. 
 
200 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Sohrab granted him his life, bound him with 
 cords, and sent him a prisoner to the King. 
 
 The old governor of the fort had a daughter, 
 Gurdafurd by name, a very fair maiden, but 
 as strong and brave as any warrior in the 
 land. It troubled her greatly to see the young 
 champion discomfited and bound, and without 
 hesitating a moment she armed herself, hid her 
 long hair under her helmet, and rode forth from 
 the fort to do battle with the Tartars. 
 
 She rode in front of the army of the besiegers, 
 and said, "Who is there among you that will 
 come and fight with me ? " None of them 
 were willing to accept her challenge ; but when 
 Sohrab saw her he said, il Here is another wild 
 ass for my lasso ! " and hastily putting on his 
 armour rode out to meet her. The girl let 
 fly a storm of arrows at him, attacking him first 
 from one side then from the other ; and when 
 Sohrab charged her, threw her bow over her 
 shoulder, put her spear in rest, and galloped 
 to meet him. Sohrab drew his spear back so 
 far that the point was almost level with his 
 body ; then, delivering it with all his force, 
 struck Gurdafurd on the girdle, burst the 
 
SOHRAB. 201 
 
 fastenings of her coat of mail, and hurled her 
 from her saddle like a ball struck by a racquet. 
 The girl twisted herself under her saddle, drew 
 a sword from her girdle, and cut Sohrab's spear 
 in half. Then she jumped again into the saddle, 
 but turned to fly, for she had little liking for 
 the conflict. Sohrab slackened the reins of his 
 horse, and, galloping after her at full speed, 
 overtook her, and catching her by the helmet, 
 drew it from her head. Then all her long hair 
 fell down, and the young hero knew that he 
 had been fighting with a girl. "Well!" said 
 he, "if the maidens of Persia fight in this 
 fashion, the men must be notable warriors." 
 He threw his lasso round her waist, and said, 
 " Do not attempt to escape ; but tell me, beau- 
 tiful girl, why did you seek this conflict ?" 
 
 The girl said, "All the army will laugh at 
 you, if they should see my face and my hair. 
 They will say, ( The brave Sohrab went out 
 to fight a woman.' Let us conceal this adven- 
 ture. The fort is yours, and all the soldiers 
 in it and all the treasure, as soon as you shall 
 be pleased to take possession of it." 
 
 Sohrab said, " Do not fail of your promise, 
 
202 THE STORY RUSTEM. 
 
 and do not trust in the strength of your walls. 
 Were they as high as the vault of heaven, my 
 club would level them to the ground." 
 
 So they rode together to the gate of the fort, 
 and Gurdafurd, wounded and wearied, dragged 
 herself within. Her father received her with 
 great joy, and said, " You have done well, my 
 daughter. We have no cause to be ashamed 
 of your courage and address. Thanks be to 
 God, who has not suffered this stranger to 
 kill you." 
 
 After this the girl mounted on the wall, and 
 seeing Sohrab waiting beneath, said to him, 
 "Why do you weary yourself with waiting, 
 lord of the Tartars ? Return to the place 
 whence you came." 
 
 Sohrab said : " Treacherous one ! I swear by 
 heaven and earth that you will repent of this 
 falsehood. Where is the treaty that you made 
 with me, that you would deliver up the fort, 
 with all its garrison and its treasure ? " 
 
 The girl laughed, and said: u Take care; the 
 great Rustem will soon be here, and not a man 
 of your army will be left alive. But what a 
 pity that such arms and such a breast as yours 
 
SOHRAB. 203 
 
 should be a prey for jackals ! Pride yourself 
 as you will on your strength, but yet the stupid 
 cow will eat the grass upon your grave." 
 
 Sohrab was covered with shame to hear these 
 mocking words. But he said, "It is too late 
 to give battle to-day; but with dawn to morrow 
 we will lay the fort level with the dust." Then 
 he shook the reins of his horse, and galloped 
 back to the camp. 
 
 At dawn he marched against the fort with 
 his army. But there was no one to be seen 
 upon the walls. He rode up to the gate, and 
 it was opened to him. But there was not a 
 single armed man in the whole place. In fact, 
 the governor and the garrison had departed in 
 the night by a passage under the earth, of 
 which no one was aware, and with them was 
 gone the beautiful Gurdafurd. This troubled 
 Sohrab more than anything else, for his heart 
 was full of love for the girl, so beautiful and so 
 brave. 
 
204 THE STORY OF RUST EM. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SOHRAB (continued]. 
 
 MEANWHILE the governor of the fort had sent 
 a letter to King Kaoiis, telling him how there 
 had appeared among the Tartars a mighty 
 champion, against whom, such was the strength 
 of his arms, no one could stand ; how he had 
 overthrown and taken prisoner their champion, 
 and now threatened to overrun and conquer 
 the whole land of Persia. When the King 
 had received and read this letter he was greatly 
 troubled, and, calling a scribe, said to him, 
 "Sit down and write a letter to Rustem." So 
 the scribe sat down and wrote. The letter was 
 this : " There has appeared among the Tartars 
 a great champion, strong as an elephant and 
 fierce as a lion. No one can stand against him. 
 We look to you for help. It is of your doing 
 
SOHRAB. 205 
 
 that our warriors hold their heads so high. 
 Come, then, with all the speed that you can 
 use so soon as you shall have read this letter. 
 Be it night or day, come at once ; do not 
 open your mouth to speak ; if you have a bunch 
 of roses in your hand do not stop to smell it, 
 but come ; for the warrior of whom I write 
 is such that you only can meet him." 
 
 King Kaotis sealed the letter and gave it 
 to a warrior named Giv. At the same time 
 he said, " Haste to Rustem. Tarry not on the 
 way ; and when you are come, do not rest there 
 for an hour. If you arrive in the night, depart 
 again the next morning." So Giv departed, 
 and travelled with all his speed, allowing 
 himself neither sleep nor food. When he 
 approached Zabulistan, the watchman said, 
 "A warrior comes from Persia, riding like the 
 wind." So Rustem, with his chiefs, went out 
 to meet him. When they had greeted each 
 other, they returned together to Rustem's palace. 
 Giv delivered his message and handed the 
 King's letter, telling himself much more that 
 he had heard about the strength and courage of 
 this Tartar warrior. Rustem heard him with 
 
2o6 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 astonishment, and said, " This champion is like, 
 you say, to the great San, my grandfather. 
 That such a man should come from the free 
 Persians is possible ; but that he should be 
 among those slaves the Tartars, is past belief. 
 I have myself a child, whom the daughter of 
 a Tartar king bore to me ; but the child is a 
 girl. This, then, that you tell me is passing 
 strange ; but for the present let us make merry." 
 
 So they made merry with the chiefs that 
 were assembled in Rustem's palace. But after 
 awhile Giv said again : " King Kaotis com- 
 manded me, saying, ' You must not sleep in 
 Zabulistan ; if you arrive in the night, set out 
 again the next morning. It will go ill with 
 us if we have to fight before Rustem comes.' 
 It is necessary, then, great hero, that we set 
 out in all haste for Persia." 
 
 Rustem said, " Do not trouble yourself about 
 this matter. We must all die some day. Let 
 us, therefore, enjoy the present. Our lips are 
 dry, let us wet them with wine. As to this 
 Tartar, fortune will not always be with him. 
 When he sees my standard, his heart will fail 
 him." 
 
SOHRAB. 207 
 
 So they sat, drinking the red wine and 
 singing merry songs, instead of thinking of 
 the King and his commands. The next day 
 Rustem passed in the same fashion, and the 
 third also. But on the fourth Giv made pre- 
 parations to depart, saying to Rustem, "If we 
 do not make haste to set out, the King will 
 be wroth, and his anger is terrible." Rustem 
 said, "Do not trouble yourself ; no man dares 
 to be wroth with me." Nevertheless he bade 
 them saddle Raksh, and set out with his com- 
 panions. 
 
 When they came near the King's palace, a 
 great company of nobles rode out to meet them, 
 and conducted them to the King, and they paid 
 their homage to him. But the King turned 
 away from them in a rage. "Who is Rustem," 
 he cried, " that he forgets his duty to me, and 
 disobeys my commands ? If I had a sword 
 in my hand this moment, I would cut off his 
 head, as a man cuts an orange in half. Take 
 him, hang him up alive on gallows, and never 
 mention his name again in my presence." 
 
 Giv answered, (; Sir, will you lay hands 
 upon Rustem ? " 
 
2o8 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 The King burst out again in rage against 
 Giv and Rustem, crying to one of his nobles, 
 "Take these two villains and hang them 
 alive on gallows." And he rose up from his 
 throne in fury. The noble to whom he had 
 spoken laid his hand upon Rustem, wishing to 
 lead him out of the King's presence, lest Kaoiis 
 in his rage should do him an injury. But 
 Rustem cried out, "What a king are you! 
 Hang this Tartar, if you can, on your gallows. 
 Keep such things for your enemies. All the 
 world has bowed itself before me and Raksh 
 my horse. And you you are king by my 
 grace." 
 
 Thus speaking, he struck away the hand 
 that the noble had laid upon him so fiercely 
 that the man fell headlong to the ground, and 
 he passed over his body to go from the presence 
 of the King. And as he mounted on Raksh, 
 he cried : "What is Kaous that he should deal 
 with me in this fashion ? It is God who has 
 given me strength and victory, and not he or 
 his army. The nobles would have given me the 
 throne of Persia long since, but I would not 
 receive it ; I kept the right before my eyes. 
 
SOHRAB. 209 
 
 Verily, had I not done so, you, Kaous, would 
 not be sitting upon the throne." Then he turned 
 to the Persians that stood by, and said, " This 
 brave Tartar will come. Look out for yourselves 
 how you may save your lives. Me you shall 
 see no more in the land of Persia." 
 
 The Persians were greatly troubled to hear 
 such words ; for they were sheep, and Rustem 
 was their shepherd. So the nobles assembled, 
 and said to each other: " The King has for- 
 gotten all gratitude and decency. Does he not 
 remember that he owes to Rustem his throne 
 nay, his very life ? If the gallows be Rustem's 
 reward, what shall become of us ? " 
 
 So the oldest among them came and stood 
 before the King, and said : " O King, have you 
 forgotten what Rustem has done for you and 
 for this land how he conquered Mazanderan 
 and its king and the White Genius; how he gave 
 you back the sight of your eyes ? And now you 
 have commanded that he should be hanged 
 alive upon a gallows. Are these fitting words 
 for a king ? " 
 
 The King listened to the old man, and said : 
 " You speak well. The words of a king should 
 
 15 
 
210 THE STOR Y OF RUSTEM. 
 
 be words of wisdom. Go now to Rustem, and 
 speak good words to him, and make him forget 
 my anger." 
 
 So the old man rode after Rustem, and many 
 of the nobles went with him. When they had 
 overtaken him, the old man said, " You know 
 that the King is a wrathful man, and that in 
 his rage he speaks hard words. But you know 
 also that he soon repents. But now he is 
 ashamed of what he said. And if he has 
 offended, yet the Persians have done no wrong 
 that you should thus desert them." 
 
 Rustem answered, " Who is the King that I 
 should care for him ? My saddle is my throne, 
 my helmet is my crown, my corselet is my robe 
 of state. What is the King to me but a grain 
 of dust ? Why should I fear his anger ? I 
 delivered him from prison ; I gave him back 
 his crown. And now my patience is at an 
 end." 
 
 The old man said, " This is well. But the 
 King and his nobles will think, ' Rustem fears 
 this Tartar,' and they will say, ' If Rustem is 
 afraid, what can we do but leave our country ? ' 
 I pray you therefore not to turn your back upon 
 
SOHRAB. 211 
 
 the King, when things are in such a plight. Is 
 it well that the Persians should become the 
 slaves of the infidel Tartars ? " 
 
 Rustem stood confounded to hear such words. 
 "If there were fear in my heart, then I would 
 tear my soul from my body. But you know 
 that it is not ; only the King has treated me 
 with scorn." 
 
 But he perceived that he must yield to the 
 old man's advice. So he went back with the 
 nobles. 
 
 As soon as the King saw him, he leapt 
 upon his feet, and said, " I am hard of soul, but 
 a man must grow as God has made him. My 
 heart was troubled by the fear of this new 
 enemy. I looked to you for safety, and you 
 delayed your coming. Then I spoke in my 
 wrath ; but I have repented, and my mouth is 
 full of dust." 
 
 Rustem said, "It is yours to command, O 
 King, and ours to obey. You are the master, 
 and we are your slaves. I am but as one of 
 those who open the door for you, if indeed I 
 am worthy to be reckoned among them. And 
 now I am come to execute your commands." 
 
212 THE STORY OF RVSTEM. 
 
 Kaotis said, " It is well. Now let us feast. 
 To-morrow we will prepare for war." 
 
 So Kaoits, and Rustem, and the nobles 
 feasted till the night had passed and the morn- 
 ing- came. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 son R AB (continued) . 
 
 THE next day King Kaotis and Rustem, with 
 a great army, began their march. Now Sohrab 
 was still at the fort from which the beautiful 
 Gurdafurd had escaped. When the army of 
 the Persians came in sight, the Tartars that 
 were in the fort set up a great shout ; and 
 Sohrab hearing it, came and stood on the ram- 
 part, with Hedjir, the champion whom he had 
 conquered and taken prisoner, by his side. 
 " You do not see," he said, " in this great army 
 a man with a great club who would be able to 
 meet me in battle. There are many men, it is 
 true ; but not a single man of war. Verily I 
 will cover the plain with their blood, as the 
 waters cover the sea." 
 
 So saying, he ^Yent down from the rampart, 
 
214 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 and called for a cup of wine. He had not a 
 thought of fear in his heart. On the other 
 side, the King's army pitched their tents on the 
 plain, which they covered from side to side 
 with their encampment. 
 
 That night Rustem went to the King, and 
 said, " Will the King suffer me to go out 
 to-night without helmet or belt that I may see 
 for myself who this champion is, and who are 
 the warriors that follow him ? " 
 
 The King said, " It is well thought of. 
 Only be prudent, and may God have you in 
 His keeping." 
 
 So Rustem put on the dress of a Tartar, and 
 set out for the fort. He made his way into it, 
 like a lion which steals on a herd of antelopes, 
 and saw Sohrab and the chief sitting at the 
 feast. 
 
 Now Sohrab's mother had said to Zendeh 
 her brother, when her son was setting out for 
 the war, " Go with Sohrab, for you know the 
 face of Rustem ; and when the time is come, 
 you will show my son his father." So Sohrab 
 sat at the feast, and Zendeh his uncle sat by him. 
 
 Rustem stood by the door watching the 
 
SOHRAB. 215 
 
 feasters, and it so chanced that Zendeh, leaving 
 the room, saw him standing there. " Who are 
 you ? " he said, for there was not a man in the 
 whole army of the Tartars that was his like in 
 strength and stature. 
 
 Rustem answered him not a word, but struck 
 him on the nape of the neck so fierce a blow 
 that he fell down and died. There was np 
 more feasting or fighting for Zendeh. 
 
 When Sohrab saw that Zendeh's place re- 
 mained empty, he asked where he was. Some 
 of the guests went to look for him, and found 
 him lying dead by the door. They came and 
 told Sohrab, who called the nobles and said to 
 them, " We must not sleep to-night, but must 
 spend the time in sharpening the points of our 
 lances. The wolf has come into the fold, and, 
 in spite of shepherds and dogs, has taken the 
 best of the flock. With God for my helper, 
 I will avenge on the Persian the death of 
 Zendeh." 
 
 When he had thus spoken he came back to 
 his place, and cried, "Zendeh will be wanting 
 by my side in the battle ; but I am not weary 
 of the feast." 
 
216 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Meanwhile Rustem went back to King 
 Kaotis, and told him what he had seen and 
 done. " As for Sohrab," said he, " he has not 
 his equal in Persia, or among the Tartars. He 
 might have been the great warrior San, and 
 what can I say more ? " 
 
 The next day Sohrab put on his armour, and, 
 going out of the fort, chose a steep place from 
 which he could see the army of the Persians, 
 and bade Hedjir come and stand by him. 
 "Deal fairly with me," said he, "answer me 
 true, and it shall go well with you. You shall 
 have rewards to your heart's content. But if 
 you deceive me, you shall lie in prison for the 
 rest of your days." 
 
 Hedjir said,." I will tell you truly all that I 
 can about the army of the Persians. And, 
 indeed, why should I lie unto my lord ? " 
 
 Sohrab went on, " I am going to ask you 
 questions about the great men of the Persian 
 army. Tell me now who they are. And first 
 I see a tent of leopard skin, surrounded with 
 brocade of many colours, and guarded by a 
 hundred war-elephants. Over the tent there 
 floats a violet flag, on which are figured the 
 
SOHRAB. 217 
 
 sun and the moon in gold. Whose is this 
 tent?" 
 
 "That," said Hedjir, " is the tent of the 
 Persian king." 
 
 "I see another tent," said Sohrab, " and the 
 flag that flies over it has the figure of an ele- 
 phant. Whose is it ? " 
 
 "That is the tent of Thous, son of King 
 Nereder." 
 
 " And now," Sohrab went on, " tell me whose 
 is that tent of green ? I see, sitting on a chair, 
 a stalwart hero, with such an air, such shoulders, 
 and such a frame as I have never seen before. 
 Though he is sitting, yet he overtops all the 
 warriors that are near him. And in front of 
 him there stands a great charger, as high as the 
 hero himself ; and from the saddle there hangs 
 a lasso. Nowhere have I seen such a man or 
 such a horse. See his standard ; it has the 
 figure of a dragon, and on the spear-head is a 
 lion's head." 
 
 Hedjir said to himself, " If I were to tell this 
 young lion that this great warrior is Rustem, 
 he would do his best to slay him. No ; I will 
 keep his name secret." So he said : ' This is 
 
2i8 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 one of the King's allies that is newly come from 
 China." 
 
 " But what is his name ? " said Sohrab. 
 
 " I do not know," answered the other, "for I 
 was in the fort when he came to the King." 
 
 Sohrab was greatly grieved to find no trace 
 of Rustem. His mother had told him certain 
 signs by which he should know the hero. He 
 saw them all, but he could not believe his eyes. 
 Again he asked Hedjir about the green tent, 
 and the mighty horse, and the lasso hanging 
 from the saddle. But Hedjir answered : " Why 
 should I hide the truth from you ? If I do not 
 tell you the name of this warrior from China, it 
 is because I do not know it." 
 
 " But," said Sohrab, " where is Rustem ? Not 
 a word have you said of him ; and yet so great 
 a hero could not remain concealed in the middle 
 of a camp. You told me that he is the chief of 
 the army and the guardian of the provinces.* 
 Why, then, is he nowhere to be seen ? " 
 
 Hedjir answered : " Perhaps he is gone to 
 Zabulistan. It is now that they hold their feasts 
 in the rose-gardens of that land." 
 
 " This is idle," said Sohrab. " Rustem is one 
 
SOHRAB. 219 
 
 who will always be found in the front of the 
 battle. Now, listen to me. If you will tell me 
 which is Rustem, I will put you above all the 
 people and load you with treasure. But if you 
 hide from me what I want to know, I will cut 
 your head from your body. Now choose be- 
 tween the two." 
 
 " Prince," said the other, " when you are tired 
 of life, go out and fight with Rustem, who can 
 kill two hundred men with one blow of his 
 club." 
 
 Nevertheless he thought to himself: "If I 
 show Rustem to this young lion he will rush on 
 him and slay him, for all his strength and vigour. 
 After this there is not a Persian who will dare 
 to fight with him, and he will become King 
 of Persia. No ; I will hide the truth, and if I 
 die, I die." Then, turning to Sohrab, he said : 
 " Why are you so angry, and why do you 
 threaten to kill me because I do not point out 
 Rustem to you ? But after all, are you not 
 hiding your real thought ? You want to meet 
 Rustem in battle ; but I say to you, Avoid him, 
 for surely he will bring you to nought." 
 
 Sohrab, in a rage, struck him from his horse 
 
220 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 to the ground. Then, going back to the fort, 
 he armed himself for battle, and went out. First 
 he charged the King's tent, and not one of the 
 warriors of Persia dared to stand before him. 
 He cried out to the King and said : " Noble 
 King, what are you doing here on the field 
 of battle ? How dare you take the lance of 
 Kaolis, you who never dare to fight among the 
 warriors in the battle. Listen to me. The 
 night that Zendeh was slain I swore a great 
 oath that I would not leave a man, little or 
 great, alive in Persia, and that I would hang 
 the King of Persia alive on a gallows. Come, 
 now, if you have a champion who dares to meet 
 me, let him come forth ! " 
 
 Not a man among the Persians took up this 
 challenge; and the King, in great trouble, sent 
 to Rustem, saying : " The faces of my warriors 
 grow pale before this young Tartar, and there 
 is not one who dares meet him in battle." 
 
 Rustem said to the messenger : " When other 
 kings have called me, it has been sometimes to 
 the battle and sometimes to the banquet ; but 
 King Kaotis never calls me except to fight for 
 him." 
 
SOHRAB. 221 
 
 Nevertheless he bade his people saddle his 
 horse Raksh, and he put on his circlet of 
 leopard-skin and his royal girdle, and mounted, 
 and set out for the battle, with his standard 
 carried before him. 
 
 When he saw Sohrab, and observed how 
 tall and stalwart he was, he cried out to him : 
 " Come out from the line of your army, and 
 I will come out from mine." 
 
 Sohrab rubbed his hands in delight, and 
 rushed out, saying: "We are warriors, you 
 and I. Do not call to your side any of the 
 men of Persia, and there shall be no Tartar 
 with me. You and I will fight alone. But 
 listen : you cannot stand against me. You are 
 tall of stature, and you have stalwart arms ; but 
 the weight of years is on you." 
 
 Rustem looked at the young man, and said : 
 " Young man, the earth is dry and cold, but 
 the air is sweet and warm. I have fought in 
 many a battle ; many an army have I put to 
 flight ; many a warrior and many a genius have 
 I slain, and never yet have I been beaten. 
 But I should be grieved to do you any harm. 
 Leave these Tartars and come to us. I know 
 
222 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 not a man in the whole land of Persia who has 
 arms and shoulders such as yours." 
 
 When Rustem thus spake, the heart of Sohrab 
 went out to him, and he said : " Come, now ; 
 I will ask you a question, and I beseech you 
 to answer me truly. Tell me frankly who you 
 are. Surely you are Rustem, the son of Zal ? " 
 
 Rustem answered: " It is false; I am not 
 Rustem ; I am but a common man ; I have 
 neither throne, nor palace, nor crown." 
 
 When Sohrab heard this his heart was filled 
 with despair, and he addressed himself to the 
 combat. 
 
 The two champions chose a narrow place, 
 and attacked each other with short spears. And 
 when their spears had no more iron left on 
 them so fierce were their blows they drew 
 their Indian swords, and fell to work again. 
 And when their swords were broken they used 
 their clubs. Terrible blows they dealt each 
 other ! The armour of their horses was broken 
 in pieces ; their coats of mail were shattered. 
 At last neither the warriors nor their horses 
 moved more, so fierce had been their struggle. 
 Surely this was a strange and marvellous thing! 
 
SOHRAB. 223 
 
 The beasts know their own young ; but man in 
 his fury cannot distinguish between his son and 
 his enemy ! 
 
 Rustem said to himself: "The battle with 
 the White Genius was but child's play to this. 
 Never yet have I been conquered, and now my 
 heart fails me before this man without a name." 
 
 When the two combatants had rested awhile 
 they renewed the battle. Rustem seized Sohrab 
 by the belt, hoping to drag him from his saddle; 
 but he could not move him an inch from his 
 place. Then Sohrab took up again his great 
 club from where it hung by the side of the 
 saddle, and dealt Rustem a mighty blow that 
 bruised his shoulder. The hero writhed under 
 the agony, but was strong enough to swallow 
 down the pain. But Sohrab saw that he had 
 struck a timely stroke, and smiled, saying : 
 " Warrior, you are not one who can stand 
 against the blows of the strong. But it is 
 your age that disables you ; it is folly for the 
 aged to match themselves with the young." 
 
 After this the two combatants parted, and 
 Rustem chased the army of the Tartars, as a 
 tiger rushes on his prey. When Sohrab saw 
 
224 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 this he fell, in his turn, upon the Persians, and 
 scattered them like a flock of sheep before him. 
 
 Rustem was filled with fury at the sight, and 
 cried : " Man of blood, why have you fallen 
 on the Persians, like a wolf on the fold ? " 
 
 Sohrab answered : " The army of the Tartars 
 had not joined in the battle, and yet you charged 
 it." 
 
 Rustem said : " We will fight again to-morrow, 
 and God shall decide who of us two shall 
 remain the conqueror." 
 
 After this they rode back each to his own 
 army. Rustem sought the presence of the 
 King, and told him what a mighty champion 
 this Sohrab was. " We tried all our arms 
 against each other," he said ; " the arrow, the 
 sword, the mace, and the lasso, but it was all 
 in vain. At last I caught him by the girdle, 
 hoping to lift him from his saddle, as I have 
 done many a warrior before ; but the wind might 
 as well try to drag a mountain from its place 
 as I drag this young warrior from his seat. 
 Nevertheless, I will meet him again to-morrow, 
 and then we will see what is the will of God, 
 whether he is to prevail or I." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 SOHRAB (continued}. 
 
 THAT night Rustem said to his brother, " If I 
 fall to-morrow in the conflict, let all my army- 
 depart from the field of battle and return to 
 Zabulistan, to the old man Zal. Console my 
 mother in her sorrow. Let her not bind her 
 heart for ever to the dead. I have no cause 
 to complain of fate. Many a lion, many a 
 warrior, many a Genius have I slain, many a 
 fortress have I taken, and I have never been 
 overcome. And say to Zal, my father, ' Be 
 faithful to the King, and obey his commands.' 
 As for me, let him remember that old and 
 young must die." 
 
 Sohrab passed the night feasting. He said 
 to one of his followers : " My heart goes out 
 to that brave warrior with whom I have fought 
 
 16 
 
226 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 to-day. I see in him all the signs by which my 
 mother told me I was to recognize my father, 
 and my heart trembles. I must not fight 
 against my father." 
 
 The man to whom he spoke said : " I have 
 seen Rustem in battle, and his horse Raksh 
 also I have seen ; nor is the horse of this 
 warrior unlike him. Nevertheless, he does not 
 strike the earth with so heavy a tread." 
 
 The next day at dawn Sohrab put on his 
 cuirass and his helmet and armed himself, and, 
 mounting his horse, rode into the space between 
 the two armies. And Rustem, on the other 
 hand, rode out to meet him. 
 
 Sohrab spoke to Rustem with a smile upon 
 his lips. One would have thought that they 
 had spent the night together as friends at a 
 feast. " How have you slept ? " he said. " How 
 do you fare to-day? Why is your heart bent 
 on battle ? Put down your club and your sword. 
 Let us sit together on the ground, and drive 
 away our cares with the wine-cup. Wait till 
 some one else shall come to do battle with you, 
 but with me make a covenant of friendship, 
 and tell me your name and your family. Surely 
 
SOHRAB. 227 
 
 you are Rustem, lord of Zabulistan, son of the 
 white-haired Zal. 
 
 Rustem answered : " Young man, we are met 
 here to fight ; I will not listen to your deceitful 
 words. No, we will do our best, you and I ; and 
 the issue is with God." 
 
 Sohrab said : " Old man, I have spoken in 
 vain. I would have you die in your bed when 
 your time shall come, and when these whom you 
 have behind you shall prepare for your burial. 
 But since you put your life in my hands, let us 
 accomplish the purposes of God.'* 
 
 The two warriors then dismounted, and tying 
 their chargers to the rocks, rushed upon each 
 .other. Many a blow they struck, till they were 
 both covered with blood and sweat. And so 
 they fought, without advantage to one or the 
 other, from morning till noonday, and from 
 noonday till the shadows began to lengthen 
 upon the sand. At last Sohrab, leaping like a 
 lion, seized Rustem by the girdle, lifted him 
 from the ground, and threw him down, his face 
 and mouth covered with dust ; and he couched 
 upon him, as a lion couches on a wild ass that 
 he has caught. Then he drew his dagger, and 
 was about to cut his enemy's head from .the body. 
 
228 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Rustem bethought him of a device by which 
 he might save his life. " Young man," he 
 said, " truly you know well how to manage the 
 lasso and the club, the sword and the bow. 
 But listen to me. Our customs of war are not 
 as yours. If a warrior fights with another, and 
 throws him, he does not cut his head from the 
 body the first time ; but if he throw him a 
 second time, then he has right to do so. This 
 is our custom of war." 
 
 The young man believed what the old 
 warrior said, for he was of a generous heart ; 
 and also fate would have it so. So he let 
 Rustem go free. 
 
 After a while came one of the Tartar 
 warriors, and asked him how he had fared in 
 the conflict. When Sohrab told him what had 
 happened, and what Rustem had said, the man 
 cried: " Alas ! young man, are you weary of 
 your life ? You have let the lion, whom you 
 had caught in your snare, escape. Beware of 
 what will happen. It was a wise man who said, 
 ' Despise no enemy, be he ever so weak/ and 
 think what an enemy is this ! " 
 
 Sohrab was sorry to hear these words, but 
 
SOHRAB. 229 
 
 said : " Trouble not yourself; I shall fight again 
 to-morrow, and you shall see the yoke upon his 
 neck once more." So saying he returned to the 
 camp. 
 
 Rustem, on the other hand, when he rose 
 from the ground, washed his face in a stream, 
 and prayed to God to give him the victory, not 
 knowing for what he prayed. It is said that 
 Rustem's strength had once been such that 
 when he put his feet upon a rock they would 
 sink into it, and that he had prayed to God that 
 a part of this strength might be taken from 
 him. But now that he found himself in such 
 danger, and was full of the fear of Sohrab, he 
 prayed once more that his strength might be 
 restored to him as it was before. And again he 
 did not know for what he prayed. 
 
 When he had washed off the dust in the 
 stream, he came back to the place of combat, 
 and Sohrab also, seeing him return, left the 
 camp. But when they met, and, laying hold of 
 each other's belts, wrestled as before, then it 
 seemed as if Sohrab had in a moment lost all 
 his strength. Rustem seized him by the head 
 and arm and bent him back, and so threw him 
 
230 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 on the ground. No thought had he of waiting 
 till he should have thrown the young man a 
 second time, but, knowing that he would not 
 long remain where he lay, drew his sword from 
 its scabbard, and plunged it into his breast. 
 
 Sohrab knew that he had received his death- 
 blow. He said to Rustem : " This is my own 
 doing, and it is chance that has put in your hand 
 the key of my fate. My mother told me the 
 signs by which I should know my father, and 
 my love for him has led me to my death. I 
 sought to see his face, and I have sought in 
 vain. I shall never see it ; and now I die. 
 But as for you, were you to become a fish in 
 the sea, or a star in the sky, my father will take 
 vengeance on you when he shall hear that I am 
 dead." 
 
 Rustem's heart sank in him when he heard 
 these words. "Tell me," he cried, "what 
 marks you have of Rustem. If this that you 
 say be true, may his name perish for ever ! " 
 And he threw himself on the ground, and tore 
 his hair with loud cries. 
 
 Sohrab said : " If it be so, if indeed you are 
 Rustem, then it is of your own evil soul that 
 
SOHRAB. 
 
 you have killed me. Did I not seek by every 
 means to make peace between us ? And did I 
 find one movement of tenderness in you ? But 
 open my cuirass, and look at what you will see. 
 When my mother heard the sound of my 
 trumpets at the gate, she ran to meet me, her 
 cheeks red with weeping*, and fastened a bracelet 
 of onyx to ,my arm, and said, ' Keep this, it 
 is a remembrance of your father ; and use it 
 when the time is come.' But alas ! the time is 
 come too late. We have fought together, and 
 the son is dying before the father's eyes." 
 
 When Rustem had opened the cuirass, and 
 saw the bracelet of onyx, he tore his garments 
 and cried out in despair, and threw dust upon 
 his head. 
 
 But Sohrab said: "There is no remedy. It 
 was to be, and it is. What profits this grief ? " 
 
 After a while he said again : " Now that I 
 am about to die, the Tartars are in an evil 
 case. Show, I pray you, your love for me, by 
 hindering the King from marching against 
 them. It was because they trusted in me, 
 that they have invaded the land of Persia. 
 Let them, therefore, return to their own coun- 
 
232 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 try in peace. And there is a prisoner in the 
 camp ; I asked him about you, and he lied to 
 me, denying the signs which I knew in my 
 heart to be yours. Nevertheless, see that he 
 comes to no harm. And as for me, I came 
 like the thunder, and I go as the wind ; per- 
 haps I shall meet you in heaven." 
 
 Rustem rode back to the army. The Per- 
 sians were glad to see him return alive ; but 
 when they perceived that his garments were 
 torn and his head covered with dust, they 
 asked him the cause. " I have slain," he said, 
 "the noblest of sons." 
 
 Thus Sohrab died by the hand of his father. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 GUSTASP, King of Persia (he reigned second 
 after Kaolis), had a son whose name was 
 Isfendiar, a very brave hero, who, among 
 other exploits, had killed one of the great 
 birds that are called Simorgs. Isfendiar was 
 so proud of his victories that he conceived the 
 idea of demanding the throne of Persia from 
 his father. Accordingly he went to the King 
 and said : " See what I have done : I have 
 conquered the Tartars ; I have brought their 
 treasures into your palace ; you promised that 
 if I came back, having achieved so much, and 
 came back in safety, you would deliver to me 
 the throne and the royal crown. I pray you, 
 therefore, to fulfil your promise.", 
 
 Gustasp answered : " There is yet one enemy 
 
234 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 to be subdued Rustem, the son of Zal. This 
 Rustem in former days was obedient to the 
 Kings of Persia, now he holds himself to be 
 their superior. Go, therefore, and conquer 
 him, be it by stratagem or by force, and bring 
 him bound before me, and I swear that I will 
 surrender to you the throne." 
 
 His son said : " Ask anything else of me 
 that I should make war against the King of 
 China, or against any other ruler under the 
 sun ; but do not ask me to go against this old 
 champion Rustem, the man who has defended 
 for so long this realm of Persia." 
 
 The King said again : " Rustem has forgotten 
 his duty to God and the King ; go, then, bind 
 his hands, and bring him entangled in your 
 lasso before me." 
 
 His son answered : " Sire, it is not of Rustem 
 that you are thinking. What you desire is to 
 rid yourself of Isfendiar." 
 
 Nevertheless he set out on this errand with 
 a great army, and sent his eldest son before 
 him with a message of friendship to the 
 champion. Rustem, at the first, was indis- 
 posed to accept the Prince's friendship ; but 
 
7%? Death of a Simorg, 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 235 
 
 listened when his father said, " Let us go and 
 meet the Prince. Have we not always paid 
 our duty to his house. Let us go and offer 
 him such entertainment as becomes his birth." 
 
 Accordingly Rustem went to meet Isfendiar, 
 and when he approached his camp, dismounted 
 from his horse, and went on foot to pay him his 
 respects. After the two had embraced, Rustem 
 said, " I pray you to come to my house. We 
 will entertain you according to the best of our 
 power." 
 
 The Prince answered : "The King my father 
 has forbidden me to enter any house in this 
 country. But let me put the irons on your 
 feet, and suffer me to take you bound to the 
 King. You shall suffer no harm ; indeed the 
 irons shall not remain till night. If you will 
 consent to this, when the crown shall come to 
 me, I will put the whole world under your 
 power." 
 
 Rustem answered : " It would be a lasting 
 shame to me if a Prince such as you are should 
 refuse to come under my roof. As for the irons, 
 I cannot suffer them ; but everything else that 
 you command I will do." 
 
236 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 The Prince said : " I cannot disobey the com- 
 mands of the King my father by coming under 
 your roof. But come and feast with me. Let 
 us enjoy the present. Why need we think of 
 the future ? " 
 
 So Rustem departed to put on such a dress 
 as was suitable for a banquet. But when he 
 was gone the Prince said to himself, " Why 
 should I seek friendship with this man ? I 
 will not invite him." 
 
 Rustem waited long for the invitation, and 
 was grievously offended that it did not come. 
 At last he said, " I will go and talk to this 
 courteous Prince, and tell him my mind." 
 
 When he arrived at the Prince's tent, he 
 said, "Young man, these are strange customs 
 that you introduce. W T as not, then, your guest 
 worth so much as a message ? " 
 
 The Prince excused himself by saying, "The 
 day was hot, and the way was long, and I was 
 unwilling to trouble you. But now as you 
 came, sit down by my side and drink a cup of 
 wine with me." 
 
 So saying, he offered Rustem a place at his 
 left hand. But Rustem said, " I have never 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 237 
 
 sat but at the right hand of kings." So they 
 gave him a place at the Prince's right hand. 
 
 The Prince then said : " I have heard that 
 your father Zal, when he was born, was of so 
 unsightly an appearance that his father could 
 not bear to look on him ; and that even the 
 Simorg, when he was exposed on the moun- 
 tain, would not carry him as food for her 
 young." 
 
 Rustem answered : " Why do you use such 
 injurious words ? " And he proceeded to 
 describe the greatness of his family, and to 
 enumerate his own achievements. And the 
 Prince, on the other hand, boasted of his own 
 race and of what he had himself accomplished. 
 
 When they had thus talked together for a 
 time, Isfendiar said: "We have boasted enough. 
 I am hungry and thirsty ; let us eat and drink. 
 To-morrow we will try each other's strength on 
 the field of battle." 
 
 Isfendiar ordered meat and drink to be 
 brought, and they sat down to table. All 
 were astonished to see Rustem's appetite. 
 Joint after joint of roasted lamb did he eat, 
 till the Prince could scarcely believe his eyes. 
 
238 THE STORY OF RUST EM. 
 
 At last he said : " Bring us wine ; let it be 
 new wine, not old. We will see how Rustem 
 will behave himself when he has well drunk." 
 
 The cupbearer brought a goblet so great 
 that no one could have believed it possible 
 that a man could empty it; but Rustem drained 
 every drop, drinking to the health of the King 
 of Kings. The cupbearer brought it again 
 full ; but the hero said : " This wine wants no 
 water ; water does but spoil it." 
 
 So the Prince said : " Bring another cup 
 without water." 
 
 But Rustem astonished him more and more. 
 
 When the time of departure was come, 
 Rustem said : " Prince, I pray you to come 
 under my roof, though it be but for a few 
 hours. Listen to the. voice of reason, and let 
 us be at peace." 
 
 Isfendiar answered : " As for coming under 
 your roof, I have spoken already. But listen 
 to me. Suffer me to bind you and bring you 
 before the King. Believe me that, if you will 
 consent, he will think more highly of you than 
 before." 
 
 " I cannot endure the disgrace of being 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. ' 239 
 
 bound," said Rustem. " Did I suffer it, I 
 should lose all the glory that I have gained. 
 Why are you so bent on strife ? Believe me, 
 it will turn out ill both for your life and for 
 mine." 
 
 The Prince answered : " Say no more ; my 
 purpose is fixed. To-morrow, on the field of 
 battle, we will see who is the better man." 
 
 But when Rustem was departing, Isfendiar 
 said to his brother : " I am astonished at this 
 hero, so strong is he, so noble in countenance. 
 Nevertheless the orders of the King must be 
 obeyed, and to-morrow I will darken for him 
 the light of the sun." 
 
 His brother answered : "Listen to me. Go 
 to-morrow without escort to the hero's palace. 
 I am sure that his heart is full of loyalty to the 
 King and to you. Speak peaceably to him, 
 and banish this unreasonable anger from your 
 heart.'' 
 
 The Prince made no reply ; he was bent on 
 his own fall. 
 
 On the other hand, the old man Zal urgently 
 entreated his son that he should not fight with 
 the Prince. "If you fall," he said, "by the 
 
240 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 hand of this young man, the glory of our house 
 is departed. If you kill him, you kill the son 
 of a king, and you cover yourself with disgrace. 
 Go and submit yourself to him ; if you will not 
 do that, ransom yourself with all your treasures. 
 Whatever you do, do not fight with the Prince.'' 
 
 Rustem said : " I spoke peaceably to him, 
 but he would not hear me. Nevertheless, 
 have no fear for his life ; I will not wound 
 him. No ; I will snatch him from his saddle 
 and carry him off a prisoner. Then he shall 
 be my guest ; and when we are friends I will 
 take and set him on the throne of Persia." 
 
 Zal smiled to hear such talk from his son. 
 
 " These are foolish words," he said. " Do 
 you talk of carrying off the son of the King 
 and bringing him to my palace ? This is not 
 such a thing as you should say." 
 
 And he bowed his head to the ground and 
 prayed : " O Judge and Master of the World, 
 deliver us from our troubles." 
 
 The next day, as soon as it was light, 
 Rustem armed himself for battle, and went out 
 to meet Isfendiar, who also armed himself, and 
 leapt on the back of his charger, as a leopard 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 241 
 
 leaps on to the back of a wild ass. So the two 
 met together, the old warrior and the young. 
 
 But, first, Rustem again attempted to turn 
 Isfendiar from, his purpose. 
 
 "If you are bent," said he, " on battle, why 
 not bid your Persians advance ? I, on my part, 
 will command my warriors of Zabulistan to 
 charge. We can sit here in peace, and see 
 others fight till we are satisfied." 
 
 "This is folly," answered Isfendiar ; " what 
 quarrel is there between Persia and Zabulistan? 
 Let our armies remain in peace. We two will 
 fight, and will see whether Isfendiar's charger 
 will return riderless to his stable, or Raksh go 
 back without his master to the palace of Zal." 
 
 Then the two champions delayed no longer, 
 but fell upon each other. First they fought 
 with their spears, and when these were broken 
 they drew their swords, and when their swords 
 were shivered to pieces they seized their clubs, 
 and when the handles of the clubs were broken 
 by the violence of their blows, they threw their 
 lassos ; each caught the other round the body ; 
 each used all his strength to drag his adversary 
 from the saddle, but neither could prevail. So 
 
-242 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 they fought till both they and their horses were 
 worn-out with weariness. 
 
 In the meanwhile, the lieutenants of Rustem 
 had provoked a battle between the two armies, 
 and in this battle two valiant youths, sons of 
 Prince Isfendiar, were killed. When Isfendiar 
 heard this bad news he was transported with 
 rage. 
 
 " Is this the way," he cried to Rustem, " that 
 nobles keep treaties ? Do you hear this, that 
 your chiefs have killed my two sons ? " 
 
 Rustem said: "I swear by the head of the 
 King, and by the sun, and by my sword, that 
 this is no doing of mine. Whoever has been 
 in fault, though it were my own brother, I will 
 bind him hand and foot and carry him before 
 the King, and you shall have vengeance for the 
 blood of your sons." 
 
 " It is idle," answered the Prince, " to kill 
 the snake to avenge the peacock's death. No 
 save yourself, for your last hour has come." 
 
 Thus saying, he seized his bow and arrows, 
 and rained a shower of arrows on Rustem and 
 Raksh. Sixty arrows there were in all, and 
 there was not one of them but what wounded 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 243 
 
 the hero or his horse. But Rustem, with his 
 arrows, did not inflict so much as a single 
 wound upon his adversary. The hero felt all 
 his strength passing from him, and said : 
 
 " It is enough for to-day; night is at hand, 
 and no one can fight in the darkness. Go to 
 your tent, and I will return to my palace, and 
 rest awhile, and heal my wounds. And I will 
 call my best counsellors togethers, and we will 
 consider whether we will not obey your com- 
 mands.'* 
 
 Isfendiar said : " Old man, you know many 
 stratagems and devices. Do not think that 
 you deceive me. But go I spare your life 
 for to-night." 
 
 So Rustem departed. And Isfendiar went to 
 his tent and lamented over the death of his two 
 sons. Their bodies he sent to the King in coffins 
 of gold on biers of ebony, with this message : 
 
 " See the firstfruits of your devices ! Isfen- 
 diar is yet alive, but I know not what fate is in 
 store for him. He is consumed with sorrow, 
 and you enjoy the pleasures of the throne ; but 
 remember that these pleasures do not last for 
 
 ever." 
 
244 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Meanwhile Rustem held council with Zal his 
 father, and with the chiefs. 
 
 " I am in despair," he said. " Never before 
 have I met a warrior who could resist me ; but 
 now I am helpless against this Isfendiar. My 
 arrows could no more pierce his cuirass than a 
 thorn can pierce a rock. If it had not been 
 for the darkness, he had certainly slain me. 
 Nothing remains for me but to mount on 
 Raksh and ride away to some distant country 
 where this terrible enemy shall not be able to 
 find me." 
 
 Zal said : " My son,, listen to me. There is 
 yet one hope of safety. We will call the 
 Simorg to our help." 
 
 Immediately Zal climbed a high mountain, 
 taking with him three censers filled with fire, 
 and being accompanied by three magicians. 
 When he reached the crest of the mountain, he 
 took out a feather which was wrapped in a 
 piece of brocade, and stirring the fire in one 
 of the censers, burnt the feather. . At the end 
 of the first watch, the night suddenly became 
 darker than before : it was the Simorg, which 
 had spied the glimmer of the fire. The bird 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 245 
 
 approached in great circles, and Zal rose from 
 the ground with the magicians, who all the while 
 were burning incense, and did homage to it. 
 
 The Simorg said, " Prince, why have you 
 called me by burning this feather ? " 
 
 " Because my house is in danger," answered 
 Zal. " Rustem is so grievously wounded that 
 I fear for his life ; and Raksh, his horse, is 
 nearly dead." 
 
 The Simorg said, " Let me see the warrior 
 and his horse." 
 
 So Zal sent for Rustem and Raksh ; and 
 they came, though they had scarcely strength 
 to move. 
 
 The Simorg examined their wounds, and first 
 drew from the hero's body four arrow-heads. 
 Then he sucked the blood from the wounds 
 with his beak ; lastly he rubbed them with his 
 wings. Rustem, in a moment, felt all his 
 strength return to him. 
 
 "Dress the wounds," said the Bird, "and 
 
 take care for seven days not to hurt yourself. 
 
 If you will dip one of my feathers in milk, 
 
 and pass it over the places, they will soon be 
 
 -healed." 
 
246 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Then he did the same service to Raksh, 
 drawing from his body six arrow-heads. The 
 horse's strength came back, and he neighed, to 
 his master's great joy." 
 
 " Why," said the Simorg, " did you seek to 
 do battle with Isfendiar ? " 
 
 " He would have chained me," answered 
 Rustem, "and my soul could not endure such 
 dishonour." 
 
 " Listen to me," said the Simorg again. 
 " Offer your homage to this son of a king, 
 Surrender yourself to him. If his hour is 
 come, he will refuse your submission ; if that be 
 so, I know a way of delivering you." , 
 
 The Bird then led the way to a tamarisk- 
 tree. 
 
 " Choose," said he to the hero, " the 
 straightest, longest, and finest branch that you 
 can find. To this branch is bound the fate of 
 Isfendiar. Make it straight before the fire; 
 look out a well-tempered arrow-head for it ; 
 .feather it well; and if it is Isfendiar's hour 
 to die, this is the weapon by which he will 
 perish." 
 
 Rustem did exactly as the Bird had com- 
 
THE LAST VICTORY OF RUSTEM. 247 
 
 manded him. When the time was come, he 
 presented himself before Isfendiar, and offered 
 -his submission. " Only," he said, " spare me 
 the chains ; they will disgrace me for ever." 
 
 "This is idle talk," said the Prince; " choose 
 between chains and battle." 
 
 Then Rustem, seeing that his submission 
 was not accepted, bent his bow, and laid the 
 arrow of tamarisk-wood in rest, and so held it, 
 while he prayed in secret to God. The Prince, 
 seeing him delay, thought that he did it from 
 fear, and taunted him. Then Rustem hesitated 
 no longer, but let the arrow fly, aiming at the 
 Prince's eye. The arrow flew straight at its 
 mark, and Isfendiar's strength left him in a 
 moment ; his bow dropped from his hand, and 
 he seized his horse's mane. 
 
 " You have reaped as you have sown," cried 
 .Rustem ; " you thought yourself an invincible 
 hero, and now a single arrow has robbed you of 
 all your strength." 
 
 As he spoke, the Prince dropped from his 
 horse upon the ground. There he lay sense- 
 less for a while ; then, sitting up on the ground, 
 he drew the arrow from his eye, covered as 
 
248 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 it was with blood from the steel to the 
 feathers. 
 
 Two of his nobles, seeing what had hap- 
 pened, ran up and lifted him from the ground, 
 uttering loud cries of grief and despair. The 
 white-haired Zal also hastened to the place, 
 and lamented over this misfortune. 
 
 " The wise men have told me," he cried, "that 
 the man who slays Isfendiar, will have no peace 
 either in this world or in the next." 
 
 Isfendiar said : " Trouble not yourselves. It 
 is not Rustem that has slain me, nor the 
 Simorg, nor the magical arrow. It is my father 
 who sent me to my death. But do you, 
 Rustem, take my son Bahman in your charge ; 
 teach him the ways of a king, for it has been 
 foretold to me that he will sit upon the throne 
 that has been denied to me." 
 
 Rustem laid his right hand upon his heart, 
 and swore that he would do as Isfendiar had 
 said. 
 
 Then the soul of Isfendiar was satisfied. 
 
 This was the last victory of Rustem. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE DEATH OF RUSTEM. 
 
 ZAL of the white hair had born to him in his 
 old age a son of singular beauty. But when 
 the astrologers came to cast his horoscope, they 
 were perplexed and terrified at what they found. 
 They said to Zal, "We have learnt the secret 
 of the heavens ; but it is of evil import for you 
 and yours. This beautiful son will be the ruin 
 of your house ; he will confound the land of 
 Persia ; few and bitter will be his own days, 
 and there will be few of his kindred that will 
 survive him." 
 
 Zal gave the lad the name of Sheghad, and 
 sent him, when he was grown up, to the King 
 of Cabul. When the King saw that he was 
 tall and handsome, and fit in all respects to sit 
 upon a throne, he showed him great kindness, 
 
250 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 provided for him bountifully, and finally gave 
 him his daughter in marriage. 
 
 Rustem was accustomed to receive every 
 year from the King of Cabul a bull's hide, as 
 a token of sovereignty ; and the King hoped 
 that, now that Sheghad was become his son-in- 
 law, this tribute would be remitted. But when 
 the proper time came, Rustem sent his mes- 
 senger as usual, and demanded the bull's hide. 
 
 The King, and still more Sheghad, were 
 greatly offended at this conduct. 
 
 " Why should I respect my elder brother,'* 
 said he, " when he is not ashamed to behave to 
 me so unkindly ? I care for him no more than 
 if he were a stranger." 
 
 One night the King and his son-in-law could 
 not sleep for thinking of this affair, but sat 
 talking of how they might rid the world of 
 Rustem. At last Sheghad said to the King : 
 
 " Listen to my scheme. Make a great feast, 
 and invite all the nobles to it ; while we are 
 drinking wine, say something insulting to me. 
 I will leave the table, as if in anger, and, going 
 to Zabulistan, will complain to my father and my 
 brother of the King of Cabul. Then Rustem 
 
THE DEA TH OF RUSTEM. 251 
 
 will come to redress my wrongs. You must 
 find a hunting-ground, and cause a number of 
 pits to be dug in it ; they must be dug large 
 enough for Rustem and Raksh, his horse. 
 The bottom of the pits must be filled with 
 swords and lances and hunting spears, with 
 their handles in the earth and their points 
 upwards. Let a great number of them be dug, 
 a hundred rather than five ; and take care 
 that you say nothing of the matter no, not 
 even to the sun." 
 
 So the King made a feast, and invited to it 
 all the nobles of the land. When their heads 
 were full of the fumes of wine, Sheghad began 
 to boast of his parentage. 
 
 " There is no one equal to me in this com- 
 pany," he cried. " Zal is my father, and 
 Rustem my brother." 
 
 The King said: "You are no brother of 
 Rustem. You are the son of a slave ! " 
 
 Then Sheghad started up in a rage, and left 
 the banqueting hall, and set out for Zabulistan. 
 When he came to the palace, his brother asked 
 him : " How do you fare in Cabul ? " 
 
 Sheghad said: /'Do not speak to me of 
 
252 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 Cabul. The King has insulted me beyond 
 bearing ; yes, and you too. ' You are no son 
 of Zal,' he said, ' and, though you were, it 
 would be nothing to your honour.' Then I 
 came away in a rage." 
 
 Rustem said : " My brother, do not trouble 
 yourself about this fellow. I will humble him 
 in the dust, and give his crown to you." 
 
 Then Rustem commanded his lieutenants to 
 assemble an army ; but Sheghad said : " Do 
 not trouble yourself to lead an army against 
 Cabul. The mere sound of your name will be 
 enough. Already, I am sure, the King repents 
 of his folly, and he will send his chiefs to 
 entreat your pardon." 
 
 " You are right," said Rustem, " I have no 
 need to take an army against Cabul. A hun- 
 dred horsemen will be sufficient." 
 
 Meanwhile the King of Cabul had caused 
 the pits to be made according to Sheghad's 
 advice. They were so skilfully hidden, that 
 neither man nor horse could possibly discover 
 them. 
 
 As soon as Rustem had set out, Sheghad 
 sent a message to the King. " Rustem has set 
 
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THE DEATH OF RUSTEM. 253 
 
 out without an army. Come and make a pre- 
 tence of entreating his pardon." 
 
 So the King came to meet Rustem, his 
 tongue covered with honey, his heart full of 
 poison. And as soon as he spied him in the 
 distance, he dismounted, uncovered his head, 
 drew his shoes from his feet, and, throwing 
 himself on the ground, begged pardon for the 
 injurious words that he had used to Sheg- 
 had. So Rustem pardoned him, and accom- 
 panied him on his return to his capital. 
 
 Near the city the King had had a feast 
 prepared in a beautiful garden ; and, as they 
 sat at the wine, he said : "If you have any 
 wish to hunt, I have a park where the plains 
 and hills abound with wild beasts. There are 
 lions among the hills, and in the plain roe-deer 
 and wild asses." 
 
 Rustem heard this with delight, for his fate 
 had come upon him. He bade Raksh be 
 saddled, took his falcons, and put his bow in its 
 case, and set out. As they were following the 
 chase, all his companions left him, and he for 
 so fate would have it approached the place 
 where the pits had been dug. Raksh, how- 
 
254 THE STORY OF RUSTEM. 
 
 ever, smelt the newly-turned earth, and reared, 
 and would not advance. But Rustem was 
 d etermined to go on, and, blinded by his fate, 
 lifted his whip in a rage, and touched Raksh, 
 though but lightly, with it. The horse bounded 
 at the stroke, and fell with two of his feet 
 in one of the pits. His sides were terribly 
 wounded, and Rustem's breast and legs were 
 also pierced. Nevertheless, such was his 
 strength, he disentangled himself from the trap, 
 and recovered his footing on the side of the pit. 
 
 When he opened his eyes he saw Sheghad, 
 and knew from his face that he had contrived 
 this treachery. " You will repent of this," he 
 cried. 
 
 But Sheghad said : " You have deserved 
 your end for all the blood that you have shed.'' 
 
 At this moment the King arrived, and when 
 he saw how seriously Rustem was wounded, he 
 pretended to be grieved, and said : " How has 
 this misfortune happened ? I will go at once 
 and fetch physicians to heal your wounds." 
 
 " The time is past," answered Rustem, 
 " when physicians can help me. I am passing 
 away, as better men before me have passed. 
 
THE DEATH OF RUSTEM. 255 
 
 But be sure that my son will avenge my 
 death." 
 
 Then he turned to Sheghad and said : 
 " Grant me this one favour. Give me my 
 bow and two arrows. I would not be torn in 
 pieces by a lion, as I lie helpless here." 
 
 Sheghad drew the bow from its case, and 
 put it into Rustem's hand, smiling, as he did so, 
 with joy that his brother was dying. Rustem 
 griped it with a mighty grasp, weakened though 
 he was with the pain of his wounds. When 
 Sheghad saw how strong he was, he was struck 
 with terror, and tried to hide himself. There 
 was a plane-tree close at hand, and behind this 
 he sheltered himself. But Rustem laid an arrow 
 in rest, and drew his bow with such strength 
 that the arrow passed right through both the 
 tree and Sheghad. The hero rejoiced and 
 said : " Thanks be to God that I have been 
 able to revenge myself on this traitor." And 
 as he spoke his spirit left him. 
 
 This was the end of Rustem. 
 
THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CURSE. 
 
 IT was midnight in Kehama's city, and yet 
 there was not a man, or woman, or child, that 
 slept from one end of it to the other ; it was 
 midnight, and yet the streets were bright as 
 at noonday. For Kehama, the great Rajah, 
 made a splendid funeral for his dead son: First 
 in the procession came the priests, the Brah- 
 mins, and after them the dead man, seated 
 upright in his palankeen. There is a glow on his 
 cheek, but it is only from the curtains of crirh- 
 on silk ; he nods his heads, but it is only from 
 the motion of the bearers' steps. Close behind 
 his son came the great Rajah himself, and next 
 to him, each in her gilded palankeen, the dead 
 
260 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 man's wives, who are doomed to die with their 
 lord ; and after these again, closely guarded 
 by a company of bowmen, a man and a girl. 
 The man is Ladurlad ; it was he who dealt 
 Arvalan his death-blow ; the girl is Kailyal, his 
 daughter ; it was in defending her that Ladur- 
 lad did the deed. 
 
 And now the funeral rites are finished ; 
 nothing but ashes remains of the dead man's 
 body ; and Kehama, approaching the great 
 slab of stone on which it had been laid for the 
 burning, spreads on it honey and rice, and calls 
 on the spirit of his son. The spirit comes, 
 though none but Kehama could perceive the 
 thin unsubstantial form. "Is this all that you 
 can do for me," said Arvalan, " this funeral 
 pomp and show, you who are mightier than the 
 gods ? " 
 
 Kehama' s grief was changed to anger at this 
 reproach. " Fool," he cried, " fool that you 
 were, when I had secured you against fire, and 
 sword, and the common accidents of man, to 
 perish by a stake in a peasant's hand ! In a 
 little time I could have made you safe against 
 death itself." 
 
THE CURSE. 261 
 
 "It is useless to reproach me/' answered 
 Arvalan ; " it was my hour of folly, and my fate 
 was too strong for me. But is there nothing 
 that you can do for me ? The elements, fire 
 and air and water, torture my naked soul." 
 
 " They shall do so no more," said Kehama. 
 " Is there anything else that you desire." 
 
 " Yes," cried the spirit, " vengeance ! " 
 
 Then Kehama turned, and raising his hand 
 to silence the crowd, said : " Bring forth the 
 murderer." 
 
 Ladurlad stepped forward at the word, but 
 Kailyal hung back, looking round for help, 
 though indeed she knew that help there was 
 none. Now it so chanced that on the brink of 
 the river was a wooden image, roughly carved, 
 of Marriataly, the goddess of the poor. When 
 Kailyal saw it, she sprang to it, and clasped it 
 tightly with her arms. The guards seized her, 
 and would have dragged her away ; but as they 
 dragged she clung still closer and closer. And 
 now, as the image rocks and bends with the 
 strain, they fancy that the girl is slackening her 
 hold, and drag with redoubled effort, when, of 
 a sudden, the image yields to their force ; and 
 
262 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 as it yields, the bank crumbles, and gives way 
 under their feet, and all, the guards and the 
 girl alike, are plunged headlong into the 
 stream. 
 
 " She has escaped me," said the Rajah, " but 
 the more guilty criminal is left." And he looked 
 with a dreadful frown at Ladurlad. 
 
 " Mercy ! " cried the wretched man, " mercy ! 
 It was only to save my child that I slew the 
 Prince. Mercy!" 
 
 Kehama said not a word, but stood buried in 
 meditation. He had no thought of mercy ; he 
 made no account of right and justice ; he con- 
 sidered only how his vengeance might be most 
 complete. At last he spoke. 
 
 " Ladurlad," he said, " I charm thy life from 
 steel and stone and wood, from the bite of the 
 serpent, from the tooth of the wild beast, from 
 sickness, and from time. Earth is mine, and 
 it shall deny thee its fruits ; water is mine, and 
 it shall fly from thy approach ; the winds are 
 mine, and they shall pass by thee. Thou shalt 
 seek death, but shalt seek it in vain. Thou 
 shalt live with an unquenched fire in thy heart 
 and thy brain as long as my power shall last." 
 
THE CURSE. 263 
 
 And he turned away to the crowd ; and 
 Ladurlad wandered away, overwhelmed with 
 his misery. His feet took him, not knowing or 
 caring whither he went, to the river bank ; and 
 there he spied something floating down the 
 stream. It seemed like the trunk of a tree; 
 but as he was turning away, he caught a 
 glimpse of a woman's robe. " Ah ! " he thought 
 to himself, " the goddess has saved her," and he 
 plunged into the river. The water knew the 
 spell that Kehama had laid upon it, and shrunk 
 before him, and almost in a moment he had 
 caught his daughter in his arms, and drawn her 
 to the shore. There he laid her on the sand, 
 and chafed her heart and her feet, laying 
 them bare to the warmth of the sun. Long 
 he laboured with scarcely a hope ; at last her 
 eyelids began to tremble, and then her lips, and 
 after her bosom to heave. She lived again. 
 
 When she opened her eyes, and saw her 
 father, a thrill of hope shot through her. " He 
 has spared us, then," she cried. 
 
 He shook his head. "He has laid a curse 
 upon me, a curse which will cling to me for 
 ever. No wind may breathe on me ; no water 
 
264 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 touch me. Sleep may never light on me ; and 
 even death itself is denied to me." 
 
 The girl looked at him incredulously ; but 
 when she put her hand on his garments, and 
 found them still dry, though he had brought 
 her from the depths of the river, she knew that 
 he had spoken the truth. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE GLENDOVEKR. 
 
 ALL that day the unhappy Ladurlad and his 
 daughter wandered across the plain and through 
 the jungle. They had no care or thought 
 of the way, except, indeed, to be as far as 
 possible from Kehama's city. When darkness 
 overtook them they were at a place where a 
 white flag marked the spot where some poor 
 victim had been seized by a tiger. At other 
 times they would have fled from the neighbour- 
 hood as from a pestilence. Now Ladurlad was 
 beyond all fear, as he was beyond all hope, and 
 Kailyal had no thought except for her father. 
 There, then, they lay down to rest, though 
 there was no rest for the unhappy Ladurlad. 
 Still, for his daughter's sake, he feigned to 
 be asleep, and she, listening to his regular 
 
266 THE STORY OF KEHA MA . 
 
 breathing, and hoping against hope, began to 
 believe that the gods might have had pity upon 
 him, and given him a respite from the pain 
 of the curse. So she sat and listened, till at 
 last, wearied as she was with her day's wan- 
 dering, sleep overtook her, and she ceased her 
 watch. 
 
 Then Ladurlad thought to himself : " Why 
 should I cumber this innocent girl with my 
 unhappy company ? Why should she bear the 
 burden of a woe which she cannot relieve ? " 
 He lifted his head from her lap. She did not 
 wake. He stood up, and still she slept. Silently 
 he stole away ; then she felt that he was gone. 
 For a moment she stood, listening to his steps 
 and not knowing what to do. Then, with a 
 shriek, she rushed after him ; but the night and 
 the thickness of the jungle hindered her, and 
 he quickened his steps when he was aware of 
 her pursuit. 
 
 While she stood utterly perplexed, she heard 
 the howl of a tiger in the distance. But when 
 she turned, something more dreadful encoun- 
 tered her a human form, a shape of lurid light, 
 dimly seen in the darkness. Nearer and nearer 
 
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 w,'$f.- 
 
 
 /if 
 
 H ^ 
 
THE GLENDOVEER. 267 
 
 it came, as she stood spell-bound with horror ; 
 and she knew the face of Arvalan ! The 
 spectre stretched out its hands to clasp her. 
 Then the spell was broken, and she fled. It so 
 chanced that by the wayside was a temple, the 
 temple of Pollear, the elephant-headed god to 
 whom travellers pray, standing with doors wide 
 open. The maiden rushed headlong into the 
 shrine, and clasped the altar. Even, at the 
 altar the pursuing spectre seized her. But the 
 insulted god caught him with his elephant- 
 trunk, and hurled him,, as a stone is hurled by a 
 catapult, into the depths of the forest. 
 
 Kailyal did not stay to see how she had 
 been saved, but, rushing on wildly through the 
 jungle, struck her foot on the root of a man 
 chineel-tree, and there lay, like one dead, undjer 
 the poisonous shade. 
 
 It so chanced that one of the Glendoveers, 
 the winged children of Casyapa, the Father 
 of the gods, was abroad that night, disport- 
 ing himself in the air. He chanced to see 
 Kailyal as she lay, and pitying one so beauti- 
 ful and so unhappy, bore her to his father's 
 abode. 
 
268 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 Said Casyapa to his son Ereenia was the 
 name of the Glendoveer : " Do you know what 
 you have done, bringing a mortal into this holy 
 place ? " 
 
 " I found her," said Ereenia, "under the 
 shade of a poison-tree, lying lifeless as you see 
 her." 
 
 " But what if she is a sinful mortal, one 
 doomed to death ? " 
 
 " Sinful, my father ! surely she cannot be 
 with that sweet, innocent face. But, my father, 
 why do you ask questions of me, you who 
 know all things ? " 
 
 " Do you know Kehama ? " 
 
 " The Almighty Man ! Who does not know 
 him and his fearful power ? Who does not 
 know the tyrant of earth, and the enemy of 
 heaven?" 
 
 " Do you fear him ? " 
 
 " I know that he is terrible." 
 
 " Terrible indeed ! He has such power that 
 there is hope even in hell ; yes, and fear in 
 heaven. The spirits of the condemned are 
 glad ; the souls of the blessed suspend their 
 joy. Nay, the very gods are afraid. Brahma 
 
THE GLENDOVEER. 269 
 
 fears, and Veshnoo turns his face in doubt to 
 Seeva's throne." 
 
 " I have seen Indra tremble at his prayers 
 and dreadful penances, prayers and penances 
 which claim from Seeva a power so vast that 
 even he cannot grant it and be safe." 
 
 " Ereenia, will you dare this Almighty Man ? " 
 
 " I, my father ? I dare him ? " 
 
 " If not, take the maid again to earth ; drop 
 her before the tiger, as he prowls for his prey, 
 or under the poison-tree, that they may work 
 Kehama's will." 
 
 " Never never will I do it." 
 
 " Then meet his wrath." 
 
 " But why not shelter her here, my father ? " 
 
 " My son, it cannot be. I have piety and 
 wisdom and peace ; but I have not the strength 
 to resist this almighty Kehama, no, nor even 
 the spirit of the dead Arvalan." 
 
 " Arvalan ! " 
 
 " Kehama has given his dead son all the 
 faculties of which the dead are capable, until 
 his hour of judgment comes." 
 
 " See ! she lives ! And lo ! her hand touches 
 the Holy River at its sources. Were there 
 
270 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 anything impure in that hand, the waters 
 would shrink from it. But see, they play- 
 about it, and leap, and sparkle, as if to wel- 
 come her." 
 
 " Of a truth she is pure from sin," cried 
 Casyapa. " But, my son, what will you do with 
 the maid ? " for now, at the bidding of the Glen- 
 doveer, a ship of heaven came sailing down the 
 skies. 
 
 " My father," answered Ereenia, " I will 
 carry her straight to the Swerga, to Indra's 
 own dwelling. Indra is the foe of her foe, and 
 he should protect her. But if the god shrinks 
 from the Rajah's might, and is unwilling to try 
 the perilous ship, then, small as I am, I will 
 stand forth and plead the maiden's cause in the 
 presence of Seeva himself." 
 
 " It is well," said the Father of the gods ; 
 "it is well. Stand forth without fear ; and 
 whatever may befall, still trust in Him. He 
 will do and cause to be done that which is 
 right." 
 
 The ship of heaven went on its way and 
 carried the Glendoveer and the maiden on their 
 way to the Paradise of Swerga, the dwelling of 
 
THE GLENDOVEER. 27? 
 
 Indra. When they had reached it, he said to 
 her : " Rest in peace, maiden. Feeble as I 
 am, I will guard you. The Almighty Rajah 
 shall not harm you, so long as Indra keeps 
 his throne." 
 
 " Ah," cried Kailyal, " and you too fear 
 him ! " 
 
 " So long as the Swerga is safe, you are 
 safe also." 
 
 " But save not me only. I have a most 
 unhappy father ; Kehama's curse is on him. 
 Can you not save him also ? " 
 
 " Come, plead your cause to Indra himself." 
 
 So saying, he lifted Kailyal on his wings, 
 and carried her to where Indra sat upon his 
 throne. 
 
 There was trouble on the face of the god, 
 and it grew darker and deeper when he saw 
 Ereenia and the mortal maid. 
 
 Ereenia said : " Hear me, Indra, I found 
 this child of man brought near to death, I 
 know not by what mishap. I carried her to 
 the dwelling of the Father of the gods, in- 
 
 o O ' 
 
 tending, when she should have been he&led, 
 to restore her to earth. But when I heard, 
 
272 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 her fate, I had other thoughts. She is one 
 of those who groan beneath the power of the 
 Almighty Rajah, and she is persecuted by the 
 spectre of his dead son Arvalan. What choice 
 had I but to bring her hither ? Here she is 
 safe, for here thou art yet supreme." 
 
 " Ereenia," answered the god, " no child 
 of man may dwell in these bowers of bliss. 
 With man must come Time and Wrath and 
 Change ; and these once come, our happiness 
 would pass. A stronger hand than mine may 
 wrest this Paradise from me ; but I will do 
 nothing to provoke the fate." 
 
 " Fear," said Ereenia, " courts the blow. 
 Fear will lay us prostrate under the wheels 
 of destiny." 
 
 4< It may be," answered Indra, "that Veshnoo 
 will again descend and serve the gods. Did 
 he not save them before from another such 
 Almighty Man, from Ravanen, killing him with 
 the arrows that never fail ? " 
 
 " It is an idle hope," said the Glendoveer. 
 " Put forth thy own strength for thine own 
 salvation. Would that the lightnings which 
 play harmlessly about thy head were mine. 
 
The overthrow of Ravancn. 
 
THE GLENDOVEER. 273. 
 
 The Swerga would not want a champion nor 
 Earth a deliverer." 
 
 "Think you," cried Indra in wrath, ''that 
 I want the will to strike my enemy ? But of 
 a truth I can no more cast down this Kehama 
 than can you. He went on from conquest to 
 conquest till a'l the kings of the earth had 
 received his yoke. When the steam of the 
 sacrifice went up which was to proclaim him 
 Omnipotent below, then was the time to strike 
 him with the thunderbolt. That time went 
 by ; and now by prayers and penances he has 
 wrested such power from Fate, that if Seeva 
 turn not his eyes on earth and Veshnoo de- 
 scend not to save, he will seize the Swerga 
 for his own, and roll his chariot-wheels through 
 Padalon, the dwelling of the dead, and force 
 from Yamen's charge the cup of Immortality. 
 My thunders cannot pierce the sphere of 
 power which encompasses him." 
 
 " Take me to earth, blessed Spirit," cried 
 Kailyal, when she heard the word of fate from 
 Indra's mouth. "If my father must still bear 
 the curse, he shall not bear it alone." 
 
 "Child of earth," said Indra, " thou hast 
 19 
 
274 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 already the divine spirit, for duty is thy 
 guide." Then he turned to Ereenia and said : 
 " Take her to where the Ganges has his second 
 birth. There may she and her father rest 
 secure till the hour of doom shall come." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 LADURLAD. 
 
 FOR ninety- and -nine days, day after day, 
 Kehama had led the victim, a horse which 
 no man had bestridden, to Seeva's shrine. 
 One more day, one more victim, and the rite 
 will be complete ; Kehama will then have 
 accomplished his desire ; the power of Heaven 
 as of Earth wijl be his, and he will seize the 
 throne and wield the thunderbolts of Indra. 
 Is Seeva the Destroyer blind ? Why does 
 not Veshnoo descend to save mankind and 
 the gods ? 
 
 For a year and a day the steed destined 
 for the sacrifice has wandered where he would. 
 No man's hand has combed his mane ; his 
 mouth has never felt bit or bridle ; to-day at 
 noon he must bleed ; and then Kehama grasps 
 
276 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 against the very will of Fate, the power which 
 he desires. 
 
 It is high noon, and the many guards which, 
 lest anything by chance should mar the sacri- 
 fice, have kept the victim in sight, contracts 
 its circle, and drives him in towards the 
 shrine. In long files before the temple court 
 stand the Rajah's archers ; between them, 
 starting and flinging up his head, moves on 
 the untamed steed, and the multitude closes 
 up the rear ; while in front the white-robed 
 Brahmins stand with the axe prepared with 
 which Kehama is to complete the sacrifice. 
 
 Within the temple, on his golden couch,, 
 with the attendants fanning him with peacock 
 plumes, lies the great Rajah, watching the 
 perfumed light that measures out the hours 
 as they pass. And now the time is come ; 
 the sun is at its height in the heavens ; he 
 rises from his couch and takes the axe in his 
 hand, ready to strike the victim. 
 
 That instant with a loud cry sprang a man 
 from out the crowd. A thousand archers 
 loosed their bows, as they stood with their 
 arrows at rest ; not a shaft missed its aim. 
 

 
LADURLAD. 277 
 
 But it was in vain that they fell upon him, 
 thick as a storm of hail. Kehama clasped his 
 hands in agony as he saw the daring wretch 
 grasp the horse's mane, spring with a sudden 
 bound upon its back, and gallop furiously 
 round and round. 
 
 They seized him ; they dragged him to the 
 Rajah's feet. What tortures are in store for 
 him ? What new punishment will the baffled 
 tyrant invent ? The multitude, standing silent, 
 but with hatred and curses in their hearts, 
 tremble to think. But the man himself is 
 calm as death. There was even a ghastly 
 smile upon his lips, and a dreadful hope in 
 his eye. " Yes, Rajah," he cried, " it is I ! 
 Wilt thou kill me now ? " 
 
 Kehama's face fell when he saw Ladurlad. 
 " That wretch again ! " he cried ; and he struck 
 his forehead, and stood awhile in silent rage. 
 Then with a bitter smile he said : " Let him 
 go ; he has the curse ; he can suffer nothing 
 more. But ye," and he turned in fury to the 
 archers, " ye who did not stop him, tremble ye." 
 
 Then he commanded the archers to pile 
 their arms, and calling his horsemen, bade 
 
278 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 them hem in the offenders, and slay till not 
 a man was left alive. 
 
 ; Once more 'Ladurlad, left to go whither he 
 would, wandered away ; and this time his "feet 
 carried him unwittingly to his own home. He 
 found it deserted and desolate. As he sat 
 and thought of his unhappy lot, and the child 
 whom he had left and lost, he heard a sound 
 of mocking laughter that seemed to come from 
 the air, and looking up he saw the face of the 
 dead Arvalan. Only the face it was, without 
 a body, and the eyes shone with a lurid light 
 as of sulphur. Well Ladurlad knew that 
 hateful countenance, and seizing from the 
 ground a blackened stake it was the very 
 stake with which he had slain him, and the 
 dead man's blood was still upon it he tried 
 once and again to strike the spectre. Again 
 the face laughed in scorn ; then there seemed 
 to come forth a hand, which caught the sun- 
 beams, and turned its heat and light condensed 
 upon Ladurlad. It was a useless cruelty ! 
 The stake fell from his hand, burned to white 
 ashes, but the man felt no new pain. Kehama's 
 curse had charmed 'him from such suffering, 
 
I 
 
 -1 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
LADURLAD. 279 
 
 so fierce was the fire already in his heart and 
 brain. 
 
 Then the spectre put out another hand, and 
 a whirlwind came down from the sky, and 
 scooping up the sand like smoke, sent down 
 the burning shower upon Ladurlad's head. 
 Whichever way he turned, the accursed hand 
 waved to guide the burning storm. 
 
 But help was at hand. Ereenia, his heavenly 
 sword in hand/hastened down from the height. 
 Thrice he drove it through the spectre, till the 
 foul creature fled, howling with pain. Then 
 he called the ship of heaven. Obedient to his 
 word it came, and Kailyal in it ; and there by 
 the daughter's side he laid the father, still dizzy 
 with the storm of burning sand. 
 
 Swift through the air the ship bore that 
 happy company, Ladurlad, and Kailyal, and 
 the Glendoveer, and carried them to the place 
 where the persecuted father and child were to 
 rest till the struggle between Kehama and the 
 gods should be finished. There was some time 
 of respite, for the final sacrifice had to be begun 
 again from the beginning ; and till this should 
 be done, earth and heaven alike had peace. 
 
2So THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 One evening during this happy period the 
 Glendoveer was displaying to Kailyal, as she 
 sat by the spring of the holy river, his power 
 of flight, spreading his dark-blue wings, and 
 now gliding over the surface of the lake, now 
 rising into the air, now diving into the depths 
 of the water. Camdeo, the boy-god of Love, 
 came by, riding on his parrot, having in his 
 hand the bow of sugar-cane, the string of which 
 is made of flowers, and the arrows are tipped 
 with poison. He aimed a shaft at the Glen- 
 doveer, and struck him full on the breast, but 
 the arrow dropped without harming him. 
 
 " Go! "cried the Glendoveer, "aim at idler 
 hearts. My love for the maid is deeper than 
 comes from thy arrows." 
 
 Meanwhile the god had aimed a second arrow 
 at Kailyal ; but before he could let it fly, the 
 string broke in his hand. 
 
 " See ! " cried the Glendoveer, again, " thou 
 hast no power for mischief here." 
 
 So the days of rest passed by. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 
 
 THE time came all too soon when Kehama's 
 sacrifice was duly completed, and the Almighty 
 Rajah became Lord of the Paradise of Swerga. 
 Casyapa and the other gods retreated to the 
 second sphere, and Ladurlad and his daughter 
 were compelled to return to the earth. For 
 some time they lived unmolested, choosing for 
 their home an ancient banyan-tree, whose fifty 
 trunks, self-planted in the ground, made a wel- 
 come shade both from sun and storm. At last 
 some ill-chance brought to the place a band 
 of the devotees of Juggernaut, who, seeing the 
 wonderful beauty of Kailyal, seized her, and 
 carried her off to be the bride of their god. 
 
 There, in the temple, on the feast day when 
 the great car is dragged by the frantic crowds, 
 
282 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 Arvalan, who had summoned to his aid a power- 
 ful sorceress named Lorrinite, would have seized 
 her. The Glendoveer, indeed, hearing her cry 
 for help, appeared on the instant, and catching 
 the foul creature raised him to the temple, and 
 dashed him howling to the floor. But when 
 the earth was in Kehama's power, it was not 
 the time for good spirits to prevail, and Lorri- 
 nite summoned a host of demons to her help, 
 and commanded them to seize and bind him. 
 In vain did he ply his sword of heavenly 
 temper ; their numbers overpowered him, and 
 now there were no gods to help. 
 
 "Carry him," cried Lorrinite the sorceress, 
 4 'to the ancient tombs beneath the sea. The 
 gods cannot help him now, and for man there 
 is no way thither." 
 
 So the demons carried the Glendoveer away 
 to the tombs. 
 
 Meanwhile the sorceress restored the shat- 
 tered form of Arvalan. But when he turned 
 again to seize the maiden Kailyal, she in her 
 despair caught up a torch, and set fire to the 
 hangings of the temple. In a moment the 
 whole shrine was wrapped in flames. Con- 
 
THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 283 
 
 founded with the blaze, Lorrinite and Arvalan 
 fled from the place ; but, when Kailyal was 
 about to throw herself into the fire, Ladurlad r 
 plunging unharmed through the flames, caught 
 her in his arms, and carried her safely away. 
 And so again the power of the curse preserved 
 the innocent, whom it had been intended to 
 destroy. 
 
 " Ereenia ! " cried Kailyal, when she began 
 to breathe again. 
 
 " My child," said Ladurlad, " do not reproach 
 him. Evil now rules the world, and no good 
 spirit can venture here." 
 
 " Nay," answered Kailyal, " but he did ven- 
 ture, and the demons beat him down, and carried 
 him off to the tombs beneath the sea. So said 
 their hideous mistress, and she boasted that 
 there are now no gods to help, and that there 
 is no way for man to that place." 
 
 " See again," said Ladurlad, " how short- 
 sighted is wickedness ! Truly there is no way 
 for man to the tombs beneath the sea, for the 
 waves surround and cover them ; but I am not 
 as other men." 
 
 " Let us go," cried Kailyal, " to set him free." 
 
284 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 For many days they journeyed, and as they 
 went Ladurlad told his daughter the story of 
 Baly, the great Rajah how he had conquered 
 the earth and seized the heavens ; and how 
 he fell. The story was this : 
 
 When the conqueror had seated himself on 
 the throne of the Svverga, Veshnoo came and 
 stood before him in the shape of a dwarfish 
 Brahmin. " Give me, great Rajah," said the 
 god, " three steps, and no more, of thy great 
 kingdom ; " and Baly, who never refused a 
 suppliant's prayer, answered : " Take thy boon, 
 and measure it where thou wilt." Then Vesh- 
 noo with one step measured the earth, and with 
 a second measured the heavens. " Where shall 
 I take the third ?" said the god; and the Rajah 
 knew him, and prostrating himself before him, 
 begged for pardon. And pardon was granted 
 him. He was cast down indeed to Padalon, 
 the abode of the dead ; but, because he had 
 always loved the right, and done justice, he was 
 permitted to sit at the steps of the throne of 
 Yamen Yamen who is the Lord of Padalon 
 and there to judge the dead ; and it was also 
 granted him that once in the year he should 
 
THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 285 
 
 ascend to the upper air, and hear his name still 
 honoured by mankind, and rejoice in the fame 
 of his good deeds. 
 
 At last they came in their journey to where 
 the towers of Daly's city rose up in the sea. 
 Still splendid with gold, they shone out of the 
 dark-blue waves; but the city itself was covered 
 with the waters. 
 
 " Wait here for me," said Ladurlad ; " this is, 
 a vast region which I must explore, and my 
 search cannot be finished in one or two days. 
 These caverns in the rock will shelter you, and 
 
 the sea will cast up day by day food for you to 
 
 
 eat. 
 
 The sea closed above Ladurlad's head and 
 arched him over, as he walked with steady step 
 down the sloping shore, till he came to the 
 gates of the ancient city. Wide open they 
 stood, as they had been left on the day when 
 the people had fled from the rising sea. Through 
 solitary streets and squares he made his way, 
 till he came to the palace itself, in which the 
 great Rajah had held his court. Before the 
 palace door stood a great image, with crown 
 and sceptre laid at its feet, and in one hand 
 
286 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 * = . 
 
 a scroll, to which the other hand pointed. On 
 this scroll were written these words : My name 
 is Death; in mercy the Gods appointed me. 
 Beneath the image were two brazen gates wide 
 open, and between the gates a staircase hewn 
 in the living stone, which led to the ancient 
 tombs. This hall of death was a low-roofed 
 chamber, wide and long ; and on either side, 
 each in his own alcove, each on his own throne, 
 each holding his sceptre, sat the kings of old. 
 So well had the embalmers done their work, 
 that every corpse had still the look of life ; but 
 the royal robes with which they had been once 
 arrayed had mouldered into nothingness, and 
 they sat naked upon their thrones, statues of 
 actual flesh, staring before them with fixed and 
 meaningless eyes. 
 
 At the further end of the chamber, in the 
 place where the great Rajah himself would 
 have sat, had he not been exempted from the 
 common lot of men, Ereenia lay, bound with 
 strong fetters to the rock. Before him lay 
 crouched a monster of the deep which the 
 sorcerers had set there to keep guard over 
 him; a hideous shape, of which the upper 
 
THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 287 
 
 part was human, only that the skin was com- 
 pact with scale on scale, and that the mouth, 
 reaching from ear to ear, showed a triple row 
 of teeth, with tusks on either side. The lower 
 part was a double snake, winding in heavy coils. 
 
 With red and kindling eye the monster saw 
 a living man approach, and rose in fury with 
 half-open mouth to seize its prey. Then 
 springing forward, flung its scaly arms about 
 Ladurlad's heels, and sought to suck the life- 
 blood from his veins. And, indeed, but for the 
 curse the creature would have rent him to 
 pieces as easily as a child crops a flower in 
 the meadows ; but again the evil was turned 
 to good, and the man stood fearless and 
 unharmed. 
 
 Then Ladurlad addressed himself to the con- 
 flict, and seized with bo'th hands the monster's 
 throat. In vain he pressed with a throttling 
 grasp those impenetrable scales ; and in vain; 
 on the other hand, the beast wreathed round 
 his adversary his snaky , folds. The tiger's 
 strength, the mail of the rhinoceros, had availed 
 nothing against that strength,: but the- man-, 
 protected by the curse, felt nothing. 
 
288 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 Meanwhile the Glendoveer, raising himself 
 from his bed of stone, strove again with 
 desperate effort to pluck away his fetters. It 
 was in vain even his heavenly sinews failed 
 in the effort, so mightily had the chain been 
 strengthened by Lorrinite's deadly arts. 
 
 For six days and six nights the monster 
 and the man struggled together ; but on the 
 seventh, worn out by this strange struggle 
 with a strength that had been charmed against 
 all weariness, the Guardian of the Tombs 
 began to give way. Sleep and fatigue over- 
 powered him ; at last he sought to fly, but 
 Ladurlad followed him with unceasing hos- 
 tility till he lay at last lifeless underneath his 
 feet. 
 
 " The work is done ! " he cried, " but another 
 labour yet remains." And he eyed the fetters 
 that bound the Glendoveer. Then, looking 
 round, he spied in a seat above, the scymitar 
 wieldec} of old by the King whose lifeless 
 form there sat enthroned. The brightness of 
 its blade was dim with time ; but the spells 
 with which it had been welded had not lost 
 their power, and its temper was as keen as 
 
THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 289 
 
 ever. Once again he struck, but to little 
 purpose, for the water deadened the descend- 
 ing blow. Then Ladurlad dealt a further 
 stroke the baser metal yielded to the blow, 
 and the Glendoveer stood again free. 
 
 In the meanwhile Kailyal had waited for 
 her father ; six days and nights she waited, 
 and her hopes grew fainter and fainter as he 
 delayed his return. The night of the seventh 
 day chanced to be that on which, year by year, 
 Baly, the judge of the dead, walks forth on 
 earth to hear his praises from the lips of men. 
 And as he wandered on his way, he saw the 
 maiden stand weeping by the shore and look- 
 ing anxiously over the sea. He was about to 
 issue forth from his invisibility to find out the 
 cause of her trouble, when he espied in the air 
 beside her the two evil powers that were in 
 alliance to harm her, the witch Lorrinite and 
 Arvalan. He spied them, but him they could 
 not see, as they watched their prey. 
 
 And now she saw floating towards the shore 
 the lifeless form of the monster which Ladurlad 
 had destroyed. The waves left their hideous 
 burden at her feet, and when she saw that it 
 
 20 
 
290 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 was indeed dead, she was assured that her 
 father was indeed victorious. 
 
 "Come, my father; come, Ereenia," she cried, 
 and stretched out her hands to the sea ; and as 
 she spoke the two rose from the deep, and the 
 daughter threw herself into her father's arms. 
 But as she turned from him to greet the Glen- 
 doveer, the hideous form of Arvalan burst upon 
 her sight, and with Arvalan was Lorrinite and 
 a host of the demons which attended her. Vain 
 was all resistance ; they seized Ladurlad and 
 Ereenia and the maiden, when the voice which 
 all the guilty dread was heard through the air : 
 " Hold your accursed hands," it cried ; and the 
 same instant Baly was seen putting forth on 
 every side his hundred arms. The sorceress 
 and her ministers and the dead Arvalan he 
 seized. He did not tarry for an instant ,to 
 meet the Almighty Rajah, but stamped his 
 feet upon the earth, which opened wide and 
 gave him way to his own judgment-seat. 
 
 Kehama saw it from the height of the 
 Swerga, and came flying down swift as a 
 thunderbolt. Fiercely he smote the ground, 
 and cleft it asunder, and hurled his fiery spear 
 
THE ANCIENT TOMBS. 291 
 
 into the abyss. He hurled it, but it came back 
 to him, driven with equal force ; and with it 
 came a voice : " Not yet, O Rajah, hast thou 
 won the realm of death. The earth and the 
 heaven are thine ; but so long as Yamen holds 
 the throne of hell, thy son shall lie in torments 
 there." 
 
 " Let him lie," cried the Rajah, " but, 
 Yamen, hear me ; prepare the cup of im- 
 mortality against the day when I shall put 
 my feet upon thy neck." 
 
 Then he turned to Ladurlad. 
 
 "Ladurlad," he said, " you and I have done 
 alike the work of fate, not knowing what we 
 did. But now that my power over heaven 
 and earth is established, our enmity is ended. 
 I take away the curse." 
 
 And at the instant the fire departed from 
 Ladurlad's heart and brain. 
 
 " Maiden," cried the Rajah, turning to 
 Kailyal, "fairer and better and destined to 
 higher things than all the daughters of earth, 
 listen to me. Fate has chosen thee to be 
 Kehama's bride. I see that decree written 
 on your forehead. You and I, alone of all 
 
292 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 human kind, are destined to drink the Amreeta 
 cup of immortality. Come, then, ascend my 
 throne, and share my kingdom with me." 
 
 "It cannot be," cried Kailyal ; " my heart 
 and conscience rebel against such a lot, whether 
 fate will it or no." 
 
 Kehama's brow grew dark with anger. 
 Still, suppressing his wrath, he said to Ladur- 
 lad : " Counsel your daughter ; bid her bow 
 to the kindly decrees of fate ; and tell her 
 that the curse must burn till she obeys." 
 
 " Rajah," said the dauntless man, "she needs 
 no counsel of mine. And now listen to me. 
 Though all else in heaven and earth bow to 
 thee, yet man's will is free. So the gods 
 ordered it for man, and so it is. Do your 
 worst ! " 
 
 " Obstinate fools ! " cried Kehama, in his 
 rage ; " in vain do you resist my will and the 
 will of fate. But till we meet again, suffer 
 your deserts." 
 
 And he cursed them, and vanished through 
 the sky. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE REFUGE. 
 
 EVEN as the Rajah departed, Ladurlad felt the 
 curse return with double force. This he 
 could have borne in silence, but he groaned 
 with pain when, looking at his child, he saw 
 her beauty all disfigured and marred with lep- 
 rosy. But Kailyal's heart never failed her for 
 a moment. 
 
 " Ha, Rajah ! " she cried, with a disdainful 
 smile, " wise and wicked as thou art, thy ven- 
 geance is blind, and acts a friendly part. This 
 deformity is better than thy suit ; nay, safe 
 in this, I can walk fearless through the world." 
 
 And as she spoke she lifted her face proudly 
 to the heavens. But then she turned it again 
 to the earth, and there was a tear in her eye 
 the tears of a woman's regret for her lost 
 
294 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 beauty ; and for a moment, it may be, she 
 thought in her heart, ''This is a loathsome 
 sight to man; will it be so also to him, to 
 Ereenia, the immortal?" "Not so," she said 
 to herself again; "the powers above behold 
 the soul itself through the wrappings of mor- 
 tality, and see that it is beautiful, so long as 
 it is free from sin." 
 
 But where is the Glendoveer ? 
 
 He is gone in search of Seeva's throne, to 
 tell before the very seat of supreme power his 
 tale of wrong. How shall he find it ? Do 
 not the wise men say that when Brahma and 
 Veshnoo contended for the pre-eminence, Seeva 
 ended their strife, standing before them in his 
 might like a mighty column of which they 
 could not see the height or depth ; that for 
 a thousand years Veshnoo explored the depth, 
 and Brahma for as long sought to reach the 
 height, and neither found an end ; and that, 
 trembling and adoring, the rivals owned their 
 lord ? How shall the Glendoveer accomplish 
 that which Brahma and Veshnoo failed to do ? 
 How shall he pass the seven worlds that, each 
 with its own ocean, compass the mighty throne ?. 
 
THE REFUGE. 295 
 
 How shall he pierce the golden firmament that 
 closes all within itself? Yet, he has done it; 
 faith has given him power ; space and time are 
 as nothing to him. He journeys on till Seeva's 
 seat appears, till he comes to Mount Calasay. 
 
 Seven ladders of silver stood around the 
 mountain. So high they were that no one 
 could see their top, and that worlds would 
 decay with age before any one could climb from 
 ring to ring ; but the Glendoveer, his wings 
 nerved with the strong power of faith, has 
 climbed the highest, and reached the plain, the 
 sanctuary above. 
 
 Then he lifted up his voice and spoke. 
 
 " There is oppression in the world below ; 
 earth groans beneath the yoke, and asks whether 
 the avenger's e)re is blinded that it cannot see. 
 Holy One, awake! for mercy's sake put on thy 
 terror, and, in justice to mankind, strike the 
 blow ! " 
 
 As he prayed thus, he felt his faith grow 
 stronger and stronger in his heart. Then he 
 spoke again 
 
 "Let me not seek in vain, great Seeva! 
 Thou art not here for how should this con- 
 
296 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 tain thee ? Thou art not here for how could 
 I endure thy presence ? But thou art every- 
 where, and they who seek shall find." 
 
 When he had finished his prayer he sprang 
 up, and struck the great silver bell which hung 
 self-suspended above the plain. It gave forth 
 in answer a deep melodious sound, and in a 
 moment Mount Calasay and the table and the 
 bell itself vanished away like a dream. But 
 as he fell through space, the Glendoveer heard 
 a voice from within, which said 
 
 " Go, ye who suffer, go to the throne of 
 Yamen ; he hath a remedy for every sorrow ; 
 all that is wrong he setteth right." 
 
 Returning to earth, the Glendoveer found 
 Ladurlad and Kailyal where the great Rajah 
 had left them. 
 
 Stretching out her hand to warn him against 
 nearer approach, the maiden said : " Strange 
 things have befallen us, dear Ereenia, since 
 you left us. The Almighty Man has sued for 
 peace. It is written on my forehead, he says, 
 that he and I, alone of all mortals, must drink 
 the Amreeta cup of immortality. And so he 
 would have had me share his throne in the 
 
THE REFUGE. 297 
 
 paradise of Swerga. I need not tell you my 
 answer. You see here in this leprosy his re- 
 venge.' 1 
 
 The Glendoveer answered : " Be sure, dear 
 maiden dearer now than ever be sure that 
 he has not read the book of fate aright. Did 
 he say the Amreeta cup? So far, doubtless, 
 he has been able to discover the secret of the 
 future ; for fate reveals some things, and some 
 she hides. To Yamen we must go ; this is 
 Seeva's own decree. It is he, the righteous 
 power of death, who will redress our wrongs ; 
 and it is Yamen who keeps the Amreeta cup." 
 
 So the Glendoveer and Ladurlad and Kailyal 
 went, obedient to Seeva's command, along the 
 dreary road which leads to the dwelling of 
 Yamen. Many days they journeyed, till they 
 came to where the outer ocean encompasses 
 the earth. Not like other seas was this ocean, 
 rather like an abyss on whose brink they stood ; 
 for it was hidden in a darkness which the sun 
 could not pierce, and in which neither moon 
 nor stars were to be seen. 
 
 In a creek of this strange sea there lay at 
 anchor a ship as strange, to convey these pil- 
 
298 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 grims across the deep. Its sides were leaky, 
 and let in the waves ; its mast was broken, and 
 its one sail tattered. But it was useless to 
 delay upon the shore. And, indeed, there 
 sounded through the darkness an awful voice, 
 bidding them embark. So, with a prayer for 
 protection, they. took their seats. Self-hoisted, 
 the sail spread itself to the wind ; hands that 
 they could not see loosed the cable, and so they 
 started on their voyage, leaving the day behind 
 them. 
 
 The ship sped swift as an arrow across the 
 sea ; and as it sped Ladurlad felt the curse 
 leave his heart and his brain, and Kailyal was 
 free again of the hideous defilement of the 
 leprosy. " The Almighty Man has no dominion 
 here," she cried. 
 
 Reaching the other shore, they found the 
 gulf which was the road to the dwelling of 
 Yamen. Round its brink stood the souls of 
 the dead ; and ever and anon the Genii who 
 are the ministers of the god rose out of the 
 darkness, and catching those souls whose hour 
 was come that they should be judged, plunged 
 with them into the deep. 
 
THE REFUGE. 299 
 
 " Those Genii," said the Glendoveer to La- 
 durlad, " wonder to see us here ; but they come 
 for the dead and not for us. Fear them not. 
 A little while you must be left alone, while I 
 bear your daughter down to Yamen's seat." 
 
 So speaking he took Kailyal in his arms, 
 and saying, " Beloved, be of good courage ; 
 it is I ! " plunged into the darkness of the 
 gulf. 
 
 Padalon, the abode of death, had eight gates, 
 and at each gate a heavenly guard, always at 
 his post. At one of these gates the Glendoveer 
 laid his charge, who, pale and cold with fear, 
 hung an almost lifeless weight about his neck. 
 
 " Who art thou," said the guardian, " son of 
 light, that comest at this portentous hour, when 
 Yamen's throne is trembling, and we can scarcely 
 hinder the rebel race from seizing Padalon ? 
 Who art thou, and why bringest thou hither 
 this mortal maid, fitter for the Swerga than for 
 this doleful scene ? " 
 
 " Lord of the gate," said the Glendoveer, 
 " we come in obedience to Seeva's high com- 
 mand. He, to whom the secrets of the future 
 are known, bade us come hither. We should 
 
300 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 find justice, he said, by Yamen's throne. And 
 now I leave this maiden under thy charge ; 
 keep her, while I mount to bring her father 
 down." 
 
 Then turning to Kailyal : " Be brave ; I 
 shall be here anon," and spreading his wings 
 for flight, sprang up. 
 
 For a moment the maiden stood gazing after 
 him, with straining eyes and outstretched arms. 
 She would fain have called him back ; but, 
 gathering up all her courage, she checked the 
 cry, and crossing her patient arms, sat at the 
 feet of the guardian of the gate, prepared to 
 meet what the will of the gods might bring. 
 
 The guardian's brow relaxed as he looked 
 upon her ; and hope, long unfelt in his heart, 
 revived. " Now may the blessing of the 
 Powers of Padalon be on thee!" he cried; "and 
 blessed be the hour which gave thee birth ! 
 Thou hast brought hope, too long a stranger, 
 to these drear abodes ; for surely Nature can- 
 not have made thee to be aught but an in- 
 heritor of heaven." 
 
 And he looked at the maiden with a smile, 
 thinking that Seeva had sent her to be the 
 
THE REFUGE. 301 
 
 messenger of hope and deliverance from 
 Kehama's unrighteous power. 
 
 Meanwhile the Glendoveer had returned, 
 bringing Ladurlad with him. And the three 
 stand before the gate. 
 
 " Guardian of the gate," said the Glen- 
 doveer, " I come, as I have said, by Seeva's 
 own command ; tell me the way to Yamen's 
 throne." 
 
 " Bring forth the chariot," said the guardian. 
 
 And the chariot was brought, self-moving, 
 poised upon a single wheel. And next two 
 mantles were brought, white and shining as 
 snow. In these father and child were arrayed ; 
 for so only could their mortal flesh and blood 
 endure the way. 
 
 So the three mounted the chariot, and it 
 rolled through the gate of Padalon, and went 
 on its way till it came to Yamen's palace. 
 The guards who kept the palace gave way 
 before it, till it brought them to the very 
 presence of the god. 
 
 On a marble sepulchre he sat, and at his 
 feet the righteous Baly had his judgment-seat. 
 Before him three human figures supported a 
 
302 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 golden throne, with their hands outspread, and 
 their shoulders bowed beneath the weight. 
 A vacant place was left, which a fourth bearer 
 was yet to fill. 
 
 Alighting from the car, the Glendoveer did 
 homage to the god ; then, raising his head, 
 said : " We come as suppliants to thy throne. 
 We need not tell thee the wrongs for which 
 we seek redress. Thou knowest them al- 
 ready. We come by Seeva's own command." 
 
 " It is well," said Yamen ; " the hour is near 
 when fate will reveal its secrets. Not lightly 
 did the Wisest send his suppliants hither, where 
 we, in doubt and fear, attend the awful issue. 
 Wait ye, also, in faith and patience for the End." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DOOM. 
 
 As Yamen spoke, there fell a sudden silence 
 throughout the doleful region of death, a 
 silence more awful than all the cries of lamen- 
 tation and despair which had been heard 
 before. Then through the silence there was 
 heard an unwonted sound, that grew deeper 
 as it advanced. It was the sound of Kehama's 
 approach, for now all the rites of sacrifice and 
 penance had been accomplished, and he came 
 in the fulness of his power to seize on the 
 throne of Padalon. 
 
 In all his might and majesty he came ; and, 
 by the attribute of deity which he had won 
 from heaven, he came self-multiplied, assailing 
 the fortress of Yamen on every side at once. 
 At each of the eight gates he stood at one 
 
304 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 and the same time, and beat down the eight 
 guardians under his feet, and then in his 
 brazen chariots of triumph drove through 
 each gate at the same moment. Each chariot 
 was drawn by a hundred aulays, creatures 
 bigger than the biggest elephant, ten yokes 
 of ten abreast. So he passed on in his 
 strength to the throne of Yamen himself. 
 
 Then Yamen put forth all his strength to 
 do battle with his enemy. A darkness, thicker 
 than the blackest night, concealed their strife ; 
 but, when it cleared away, it was seen that the 
 might of sacrifice had prevailed. The Rajah 
 was triumphant ; and absorbing again his many 
 shapes into one, he took his seat on the marble 
 sepulchre, with the conquered Yamen's neck 
 under his feet. 
 
 He sat silent, a smile upon his lips, dallying 
 with his power, as a guest at some rich banquet 
 sips once and again from the goblet before 
 he drains it. Before him stood the golden 
 throne. He could not choose but see it, and 
 seeing it could not but wonder. 
 
 " Who are ye," he cried, " that in such 
 torment bear this throne of gold ? And why 
 
THE DOOM. 305 
 
 are ye but three ? And for whom is the fourth 
 place reserved ? " 
 
 The first bearer said : " I was the first of 
 men to heap superfluous wealth, adding store 
 to store which I needed not," 
 
 The second said : "I was the first of men 
 to usurp power that was not mine, to set up 
 a throne as king and conqueror." 
 
 The third said : " I was the first of men that 
 imposed upon mankind a tale of falsehood in 
 the name of God. Here we have stood for 
 ages tormented, and still we are but three. 
 A fourth will come to share our torment, to 
 bear at yonder vacant corner his portion of 
 the burden. Thus it has been appointed ; 
 and he must be equal in guilt to us. Come, 
 Kehama, we have waited for thee too long." 
 
 And all three took up the words like a 
 choral song : " Kehama, Almighty Man, we 
 have waited for thee too long!" 
 
 A laugh of wondering pride burst from him. 
 He deigned to make no reply ; but, with an 
 altered look, he turned to Kailyal. " Maiden," 
 he said, " thou seest how idle it is to seek 
 escape from the devices of fate. Thou hast 
 
 21 
 
306 THE STORY OF KEHAMA. 
 
 fled to Yamen's throne, and lo ! I am here. 
 We two are destined to share the Amreeta 
 cup of immortality. Then join thy hand in 
 mine with a willing heart." 
 
 " It cannot be," said she. " Almighty as 
 thou art, still the heart and will are free." 
 
 " Once more bethink thee," said the Rajah. 
 " Take thy seat upon this throne, Kehama's 
 willing bride, and I will place all the kingdoms 
 of the world beneath thy father's feet. Refuse, 
 and he shall stand for ever its fourth supporter." 
 
 " I have spoken," said Kailyal ; and Ladurlad 
 caught her proudly in his arms. 
 
 " Bring forth the Amreeta cup," said Kehama 
 to Yamen. 
 
 " It is within the sepulchre," replied the god ; 
 "bid it be opened." 
 
 " Give up thy treasure," cried the Almighty' 
 Man to the marble sepulchre ; and at his word 
 it opened wide, and showed a huge skeleton 
 within holding the cup in its hand. 
 
 " Give me the cup," Kehama cried again ; 
 and, obedient to his word, the ghastly shape 
 arose, and gave the Amreeta into the Rajah's 
 hands. 
 
THE DOOM. 307 
 
 " Drink," it said ; " for thee only and for 
 Kailyal, of all the children of mankind, is the 
 cup designed by Fate." 
 
 " This is the end," cried, with heart elate, the 
 Almighty Man. " Now have I triumphed over 
 death. Henceforth I wage war with thee, 
 Seeva, on equal terms, a god against a god." 
 
 And he raised to his lips the fatal bowl. 
 
 Thus far the Glendoveer had stood, still strong 
 in faith, even when he saw the Lord of Padalon 
 beaten down under the Rajah's feet. He had 
 hoped to see Seeva put forth his destroying 
 might. But now, when he saw Kehama stand 
 with the cup in his hand, he resolved to dare 
 the conflict. But, as he sprang forward, the 
 skeleton barred his way, and from the throne of 
 gold the three renewed their strain : " Kehama, 
 come ; we wait for thee too long." 
 
 In the madness of his wickedness, not know- 
 ing the mystery of the cup, that its quality is 
 as the lips that drink it, a blessing to the good, 
 a curse to the evil, Kehama drank. 
 
 Then Seeva opened on the accursed man his 
 eye of wrath. He shuddered, but it was too 
 late ; the deed was done. He is immortal now, 
 
308 THE STORY OF K EH AM A. 
 
 and immortal he must remain. The Amreeta 
 runs like a stream of poison through his veins. 
 
 Then the three take up again their strain : 
 " Come, brother ; we have waited for thee too 
 long ; too long we have borne the unequal 
 burden. Come, brother, we are four." 
 
 Vain was his almighty power. A mightier 
 pain subdued it. He yielded to the bony hand 
 the cup, still unemptied, and took his stand at 
 the vacant corner. Then on the golden throne, 
 at last complete, Yamen took his seat. 
 
 The skeleton exclaimed : " For two only of 
 mankind has the Amreeta cup been reserved. 
 The man has drunk ; now comes the woman's 
 turn. Come, Kailyal, come, and receive the 
 doom of Heaven." 
 
 Wonder and fear and awe perplexed her 
 when she heard ; but hope still rose triumphant 
 over all. With trembling hands she took the 
 fated cup, and drank. 
 
 And Seeva turned upon her the eye of 
 mercy, and all that was earthly melted from 
 her, and left the pure heavenly soul. 
 
 " Go," said Yamen, " Daughter of Earth, that 
 art become the child of Heaven ; go, and with 
 
THE DOOM. 309 
 
 thy heavenly lover, in the bowers of Swerga, 
 enjoy a happiness that shall know no end." 
 
 But Kailyal still lingered, and keeping her 
 human love and pity, stretched out her hands 
 to her father. 
 
 " Go," said Yamen again ; " thou shalt find 
 him above in thy mother's bower." 
 
 Thus saying, he reached out his hand and 
 laid it gently on Ladurlad's head. He sank to 
 sleep as peacefully as sinks a child > and woke 
 again amidst those whom he loved in the 
 Swerga bowers. 
 
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